THE AVOCADO IN GUATEMALA. 49 
numerous rather large yellowish dots ; skin one-sixteenth of an inch thick, 
slightly thicker over some portions of the fruit, coarsely granular, and brit- 
tle; flesh of an unusually rich yellow color, changing to pale green near the 
skin, free from fiber or discoloration, and of very rich flavor; quality ex- 
cellent; seed very small in proportion to the size of the fruit, oblate, weighing 
2 ounces, tight in the cavity, with both seed coats adhering closely to the 
cotyledons, which are slightly rough for this race. 
CHISOY. (No. 11.) S. P. I. No. 43935. 
As a commercial variety the Chisoy avocado seems to be particu- 
larly promising. In form and size it is almost identical with the 
Trapp avocado of Florida, but it has a smaller seed. The quality is 
excellent, and the tree has borne two heavy crops in succession, 
which indicates that it will probably be as satisfactory in produc- 
tiveness as any in the series. Taken all around, the Chisoy variety 
seems to be one of the best. 
The parent tree is growing in the cafetal (coffee plantation) of 
Senor Don Eusebio de la Cruz, in the town of San Cristobal. The 
elevation is 4,550 feet. Eusebio de la Cruz is the alcalde, or mayor, 
of San Cristobal and owns coffee plantations containing many 
avocado trees, but he always reserves the fruits of this particular 
tree for his private consumption and to present to his friends. 
Beneath the broad-spreading branches of this tree are numerous 
large coffee bushes, which benefit by the shade cast by the avocado. 
The soil is a heavy blackish clay loam, of excellent fertility. No 
one knows the exact age of the tree; it is very large and probably 
very old. Fifty years can be considered the minimum. It is fully 
50 feet high, with a broadly spreading much-branched crown which 
is 60 feet in diameter. The trunk of the tree is 4 feet thick at the 
base. It branches about 12 feet above the ground. The growth 
seems to be vigorous, though the young branchlets are not so long 
as they would be if the tree were much younger. The wood is no 
more brittle than the average, and the branchlets are well formed 
and stout. The bud wood furnished by this tree is good ; owing to the 
age of the tree the twigs are not so long as would be desired for most 
convenient handling, but the eyes are well formed and show no 
tendency to drop at an early stage. 
The hardiness of the variety can not be ascertained, since there 
is no frost in San Cristobal. Until subjected to cold weather in the 
United States it can only be assumed that the variety is of average 
hardiness for the Guatemalan race. 
The flowering season is slightly later than the average, the tree 
being in full bloom on April 1, 1917. The crop produced from the 
1916 bloom was very large. No count could be obtained, but it may 
be said that the bearing habits of the tree, as indicated by the 1916 
and 1917 crops, seem highly satisfactory. In spite of the heavy 
79774°— 19— Bull. 743 4 
