FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
33 
portance—a vigorous stock-plant on 
which to graft some of the more delicate 
avocados, and a wild species for use in 
breeding. In recent years, plant-breeders 
have come to place much emphasis on the 
value of the wild relatives of our culti¬ 
vated plants, some of which have been 
utilized in breeding with excellent results. 
The wild avocado may, therefore, prove 
extremely useful, even though its fruit is 
not worth eating. 
This wild avocado of Costa Rica— 
agaacate de anis , or anise-scented avo¬ 
cado, it is locally called—grows in small 
ravines and on moist slopes at elevations 
between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. The tree 
much resembles that of some of the Guate¬ 
malan varieties, except that the leaves are 
thicker and stiffer, and strongly anise- 
scented when crushed. In this latter re¬ 
spect they resemble the Mexican race of 
avocados, and it may appear at first 
glance that the Guatemalan and West In¬ 
dian varieties, which do not possess any 
of the anise-like odor, can not have been 
derived from this wild species. But all 
studies of cultivated avocados have shown 
that this odor is not a definite character; 
it varies in amount, and it is altogether 
possible that long cultivation has entirely 
eliminated it from the cultivated forms. 
The fruits are about the size of a baseball, 
quite round in form, dark green on the 
surface, and extremely hard-shelled. The 
seed is large, and is surrounded by a small 
quantity of yellow, rather gritty pulp, 
which is oily, rather dry, and has, in ad¬ 
dition to the typical avocado flavor, a 
large amount of anise, so that it is scarcely 
eatable. 
Seeds of this wild species were sent to 
the United States, as also budwood, but 
the latter failed to reach Washington 
alive. Further supplies of both will be 
obtained through Sr. Jimenez, a young 
botanist of San Jose de Costa Rica, who 
has collaborated with us very generously. 
Aside from the wild avocado, two or 
three of the best cultivated varieties were 
obtained from the region about San Jose, 
and have been established in this country. 
These seem to be of the West Indian race, 
and are worthy of trial in southern Flor¬ 
ida, since they may prove to ripen at a dif¬ 
ferent season than the sorts now cultivated 
in this State. In quality I do not believe 
they are quite as good as several of our 
present commercial sorts. 
From Costa Rica I went down to the 
Canal Zone, and then shipped for Santa 
Marta, Colombia. Before leaving the 
States on this last trip, I had talked with 
Mr. Krome of Homestead, and he had em¬ 
phasized the importance of securing an 
early-ripening variety of the West Indian 
race, for cultivation in southern Florida. 
He had mentioned the fact that avocados 
reach New York from Santa Marta, Co¬ 
lombia, in the month of June, and he sug¬ 
gested that I might there find unusually 
early-ripening sorts. I had also heard 
that avocados grew wild in the mountains 
back of Santa Marta, forming small for¬ 
ests. I was therefore, keen to see this re- 
gion. 
It proved something of a disappoint¬ 
ment. The cultivated trees are of the 
West Indian race, and shipments to New 
York during the month of June are pos- 
