2 BULLETIN 743, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
natives in all the principal avocado regions to use them as a daily 
article of food throughout more than half the year. An avocado, 
four or five tortillas (small round cakes of coarsely ground maize), 
and a cup of coffee — by many Indians these are considered the con- 
stituents of a good meal. The cost of such a meal is seldom over 2 
cents, for outside the larger cities avocados are rarely sold for more 
than half a cent each. 
The three races of avocados at present cultivated in the United 
States are all found in Guatemala, but the Guatemalan race is the 
only one which is very common. The West Indian race is limited 
to the lowlands up to 2.500 feet in altitude, and even in this zone 
is much less abundant than the Guatemalan in the higher zone which 
it occupies, extending from 2,500 feet (rarely lower) to 7,500 feet, 
and above this in occasional instances to 8,500 feet. The Mexican race 
is found only in the highlands, and few trees are in cultivation. A 
distinct species of Persea, closely resembling the avocado and known 
as coyo or shucte, is as extensively grown in some sections of the 
country as the avocado itself. 
EXTENT OF AVOCADO CULTURE IN GUATEMALA. 
No orchards or regular plantations of avocados are found in Guate- 
mala. Most of the trees occur singly or in small numbers around the 
houses of the natives. The avocado in Guatemala is essentially a 
dooryard tree. In certain regions, however, considerable numbers of 
trees are found in coffee plantations, owing indirectly to the use of 
shade for coffee bushes. Avocado trees often spring up in the plan- 
tations from seeds cast aside by laborers or coffee pickers after eat- 
ing the fruit. Where they do not interfere seriously with other trees 
these avocados frequently are allowed to grow (PI. I), ultimately 
becoming a part of the shade-tree system and at the same time in 
many cases furnishing fruit of commercial value. 
Naturally the number of avocado trees in coffee plantations is com- 
paratively small. Even the largest fincas, which contain thousands 
of shade trees, contain not more than one or two hundred avocados, 
and it is unusual to find more than 50 or 75. 
No data regarding the annual production of avocados in Guate- 
mala are available. TThile .avocados are grown in practically all 
parts of Guatemala, certain regions are especially renowned for 
their product and supply most of the fruits sold in the larger 
cities and towns. These regions all lie at elevations above 2,500 
feet and are not only the greatest producers of avocados but the 
great horticultural centers of the republic. Favored by climatic 
conditions and possessing an exceedingly fertile soil, they have long 
been cultivated intensively by the Indians. 
