^j^*^ 1913 PoMOXA College Jouristal of Economic Botany, Vol. II, No. 2, May 



The Cherimoya in California 



With Notes on Some Other 

 Anonaceous Fruits 



F. W. POPENOE 

 WEST INDIA GARDENS, ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA 



The Cherimoya has not yet assumed an important place among the cultivated 

 fruits of California. This cannot be attributed to any fault in the fruit itself, 

 since in its better varieties it is one of the finest known to horticulture. Neither 

 can it be said that the climate and soil of Southern California are not adapted 

 to it, as forty years of cultivation have shown the tree to be hardy here, and fruits 

 of fine quality have been produced. 



The real cause of this regrettable state of affairs is not hard to determine. 

 It does not lie deep below the surface, but is plainly apparent upon investigation. 

 The fact is, we have been perpetuating only inferior seedlings. Thus the fault 

 lies with our horticulturists and not with California or the fruit. 



Had the precaution been taken to propagate from the best of our local seed- 

 lings, to say nothing of introducing better varieties, we would have many good 

 Cherimoya orchards in our state at this time. Had the most desirable varieties 

 been searched out from the countries to the south of us, or from other parts of 

 the world wherein our own climatic conditions are paralleled, it is not assuming 

 too much to say that the Cherimoya would now be regarded as one of the important 

 fruits of this region. In other parts of the world where it has reached a high 

 state of perfection, as in Madeira and the Canary Islands, it has become an 

 important product, and vineyards are being replaced by Cherimoya orchards. 



Where grown to perfection the Cherimoya is classed as one of the three 

 finest fruits of the world, the other two being the Pineapple and the Mangosteen, 

 — a royal trio indeed ! A fully ripe Cherimoya is so delicious that it is safe to 

 say not one out of a hundred on first tasting it would be other than delighted; in 

 fact, this was exactly the case at a recent flower show at Pasadena, where a 

 number of fine Cherimoyas from Mexico were exhibited and visitors permitted 

 to sample them. In flavor and character the flesh may be likened to a delicious 

 sherbert or ice cream. When prepared as it is in the tropics — thoroughly chilled 

 on ice — there are few desserts that equal it. 



On the great central plateau of Mexico, under climatic conditions almost 

 identical with those of Southern California, it is not uncommon to find trees 

 bearing two or three hundred of these delicious fruits. Why, then, should not 

 the attention of our horticulturists be more earnestly addressed to the reproduc- 

 tion of such conditions here? 



That so little is known in California of this superb fruit — its culture, its 

 value, and its possibilities for this state — has seemed to warrant the preparation 

 of this preliminary paper on the subject. 



