FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
61 
a healthy and prolific state were so great 
that even the best of returns could not 
show a profit on the investment. 
The best and most conclusive evidence 
that we can produce the fruit under prac¬ 
tical conditions in favored sections of 
South Florida; that our soil and climate 
and seasons of drought and rainfall are 
all congenial to the fullest development of 
the tree and its fruit, lies in the trees now 
growing in this section and the fruits 
they have produced in past seasons. 
We have in Southern Dade County 
seedling trees twenty to twenty-five years 
old and budded trees nearly as old. Trees 
that have weathered our storms, over¬ 
came frost.injuries, or suffered none; 
rested in our periods of drought, and re¬ 
joiced in our tropic rains and sunshine. 
For twenty-five years some of them have 
accepted our climate and weather in all its 
moods and just as nature makes it and 
they stand today beautiful and thrifty 
specimens with all the vigor of youth. 
I doubt whether the Avocado trees of 
the same age growing in their native 
lands in South and Central America 
would much surpass our trees in size and 
vigor or in productivity. Some of these 
old trees have a spread of fiftv feet or 
more and tower no less in height. Some 
of them are so large in girth that my two 
arms would barely encircle their trunks. 
Many of them in one grove about fifteen 
miles south of Miami, were broken al¬ 
most to the ground during the severe 
storm of 1910, but undaunted and 
with renewed vigor have put on new tops 
and quickly regained their place with 
their more fortunate neighbors. These 
old seedlings have not only made a favor¬ 
able showing in size and vigor, but have 
also been generous in the production of 
crops. It is not uncommon for some of 
these trees to yield fifty or sixty dozen 
fruits. From a group of almost a dozen 
trees, 4,200 fruits have been sold and per¬ 
haps many more were produced by the 
same trees in other seasons. 
These facts as to trees now growing 
are brought to the investor’s attention to 
show that the Avocado is at home in parts 
of South Florida; that our soil and our 
climate are congenial to the productivity 
and longevity of the Avocado; that we 
have passed the experimental stage of 
Avocado growing here; and that we have 
here the first factor essential to the suc¬ 
cess of Avocado growing—the right con¬ 
ditions for the practical production of the 
fruit. 
The growth and vigor of the trees 
show that our soil and climate, our sea¬ 
sons of rain and drought are congenial to 
the fullest development of the tree and 
its fruit. Our past experience in growing 
Avocados demonstrates most convincing¬ 
ly that these sections of South Florida are 
natural Avocado sections; that we have 
a natural Avocado belt here just as truly 
as they have a peach belt about Fort Val¬ 
ley, Georgia; just as certain as there is 
a natural cherry section about Sturgeon 
Bay, Wisconsin. And just as has the 
Hood River Valley become famous for its 
apples, so will South Florida become fa¬ 
mous for its Avocados. 
The second factor essential to the suc¬ 
cess of Avocado growing is the profitable 
distribution or sale of the fruit. The re¬ 
turns on Avocados sold in all past seasons 
have been most gratifying. Prices re- 
