20 BULLETIN 743, U. S, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
To what elevations in Guatemala do the climates of southern Cali- 
fornia and southern Florida correspond? It appears that the cli- 
mate at 6,000 to 7,000 feet in Guatemala corresponds very closely in 
so far as its effect upon the development and ripening of avocados is 
concerned to that of the citrus-growing regions of California. The 
maximum temperature may not be as high as in California, but the 
time required for avocados to develop and ripen appears to be about 
the same. Southern Florida, on the other hand, seems more nearly 
to approximate an elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet in Guatemala. 
If an avocado which ripens at Senahu (3,200 feet) from November 
to February is planted in California, it would be an error to assume 
that it will ripen during the same months in that State. It would 
probably be at least three months later, making its season January to 
April. If planted in Florida, however, it would be expected to ripen 
only slightly later than at Senahu. 
In any given section of the Guatemalan highlands nearly all avo- 
cados ripen at approximately the same season. Very early or very 
late varieties are exceedingly rare. Considering Antigua as an exam- 
ple, out of the hundreds in that region only a very few trees were 
found which commenced to ripen their fruits in October and Novem- 
ber. Most of the trees do not begin to ripen any fruits until late in 
February, and the height of the season is during March, April, and 
May. 
The length of time avocados will remain on the tree after they have 
reached maturity depends mainly upon two factors : (1) The variety 
and (2) the condition of the soil as regards moisture. Some trees 
carry their fruits much longer than others in the same location. In 
very moist regions, such as Senahu, however, no trees carry fruit 
after maturity for as many months as the trees of Antigua, a much 
drier section. At Senahu rainfall is abundant from November to 
February, and avocados fall quickly after reaching maturity. At 
Antigua it is quite dry from November to May, and after that it is not 
excessively moist until August. As a result many trees carry their 
fruits until late in July. 
The earliest varieties, as a rule, are of inferior quality, not having 
the rich flavor possessed by some of the later sorts. Occasionally an 
early variety of satisfactory quality is encountered. The very best 
avocados in point of flavor are the midseason and late sorts when they 
have been allowed to hang on the tree three or four months after 
reaching maturity. 
PICKING, RIPENING, AND MARKETING THE FRUIT. 
When is an avocado ripe ? Because of the fact that the fruit does 
not soften while it remains on the tree, or in the case of green-fruited 
varieties change its color appreciably upon maturing, it is often dim- 
