no 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
eighth zone, which is over 1,800 miles 
from any given point, the rate is 12 cents 
per pound. For the other zones, refer to 
the Parcel Post sheet, which may be had 
for the asking at any postoffice. 
CONCLUSION 
This paper has been prepared with my 
experience in mind, but from reference to 
various articles on parcel post marking, 
I believe other growers who have been 
marketing fruits and vegetables, are sat¬ 
isfied that by this method the producer 
and consumer are brought more closely in 
touch with each other than by any other 
manner of marketing, and I believe it will 
become more popular with the careful 
buyer. 
Parcel Post marketing cannot fail to 
be of inestimable value in the better dis¬ 
tribution of the fruit and in developing 
new markets. This method will enable 
the housewife in many a small town 
where the fruit is not for sale, to place 
them on her menu. One trial and the 
successful handling of a single Parcel 
Post shipment will often create a demand 
for larger supplies. 
SELECTION OF MARKET VARIETIES 
John J. Beach 
In selection of varieties of avocados 
for commercial propagation, they will 
naturally be divided into two classes, 
those intended for home use and local 
markets, and those for long distance ship¬ 
ment. This is because our tropical strain 
has the habit of producing fruit with 
loose seeds. The most desirable fruit in 
every other particular, quality, flavor, pro¬ 
ductiveness, etc., etc., is disqualified for 
long shipment by a tendency to loose 
seed. This was proven to me very clearly 
last summer. I was in Baltimore during 
July, and had fruit sent me by parcel 
post while there, and later bought Cuban 
seedling fruit at fruit stores in New York. 
Every one which had a loose seed had 
begun to decay inside by the time it was 
mellow, and some in which the cavity 
was unusually large, were actually of¬ 
fensive within, before the neck was soft 
enough to eat. As a commercial ship¬ 
ping proposition what we want to plant 
are varieties which will furnish fruit 
from November 1st, till July 1st, the 
period when the tropical seedlings in the 
West Indies are in season. While the 
Trapp is not by any means an ideal fruit 
in every particular, it is very good indeed, 
has a 15-year pedigree behind it, has 
made its own place in the market, and is 
with us to stay. At the same time if we 
could only secure an equally good variety 
of Guatemalan hard-shell type, which 
would begin its season December 1st, we 
would be much better off, because we 
would then market our Trapps, while 
they were just at their prime, and save 
a considerable loss from dropping. But 
we certainly must have something to come 
