K£E AVOCADO IN GUATEMALA. 57 
oblate avocados frequently are found to vary considerably in size, 
even among the fruits of a single tree. In this particular variety 
the average is not large, but occasional fruits were found in which the 
seed was a trifle too large. In others it is comparatively small. It 
is always tight in the cavity. 
The following is a formal description of the fruit. 
Form roundish oblate or oblate ; size medium to above medium ; weight 12 
to 15 ounces, length 3| inches, greatest breadth 3f to 3f inches ; base rounded, 
the very short, stout stem inserted almost squarely and without depression; 
apex flattened, not depressed ; fruits borne singly or in clusters of two to six ; 
surface almost smooth or very lightly pebbled, deep purple in color, glossy, with 
very numerous, minute, yellowish dots; skin thin for this race, one-sixteenth 
of an inch at apex and slightly less toward the base of the fruit, pliable, peeling 
readily ; flesh firm, smooth, rich cream yellow, changing to pale green near the 
skin, free from fiber or discoloration, and of rich, pleasant flavor; quality ex- 
cellent; seed roundish oblate, variable in size, weighing If to 3, commonly 2, 
ounces ; tight in the cavity, with both seed coats adhering closely to the 
cotyledons. 
BENIK. (No. 21.) S. P. I. No. 44626. 
The fruit of the Benik avocado is very handsome (PL XVIII) 
and of fine quality. When cut in half the contrast of its purplish 
maroon skin with its rich yellow flesh is very pleasing, the purple 
of the skin intensifying the yellow of the flesh. The tree is a good 
bearer, and the variety seems well worthy of a trial in the United 
States. 
The parent tree is growing in the finca La Polvora in Antigua. It 
has recently been girdled, with the intention of killing it to make 
room for more coffee bushes, so that it will probably not be in exist- 
ence by 1919. The elevation of this spot is about 5,100 feet. The 
tree stands among coffee bushes, some of which grow beneath its 
branches. The soil is a loose, sandy loam, deep and fertile. The tree 
is about 35 feet high, the trunk 18 inches in diameter at the base, 
and the first branches 12 feet from the ground. The age of the tree 
is not known, but it appears to be at least 20 years. The growth is 
vigorous and shapely, though the branchlets are rather short. The 
bud wood furnished by the tree is quite satisfactory, the eyes being 
well developed and not losing their outer bud scales or falling early. 
The bud sticks, however, are short. 
The hardiness of the variety must be considered about average 
until the facts can be ascertained by a test in the United States. 
The climate of Antigua is not cold enough to show the hardiness of 
an avocado of the Guatemalan race. 
The tree flowers in late February and March. It ripened a fairly 
good crop of fruit in 1917 from the 1916 blooms and set a very heavy 
crop to ripen in 1918. Its productiveness, therefore, seems to be 
above the average. The season of ripening is from February, when 
