1041 
Mr. Wilson Popenpe writes from Guatemala City 
Nov. 8, 1916: "As to early maturing varieties of the 
chayote; I presume you mean by this those which will 
come into fruit within a few months from planting. 
Apparently they have chayotes here all the year round, 
and consequently it is hard to tell which are the 
early and which are the late varieties, but I will 
look into the matter and see what I can find out. It 
is hard to get real information on such a subject, 
but by watching for plants in the gardens as I go 
round, I can probably get some ideas as to the habits 
of the different varieties. I am glad you liked the 
large white perulero. This still looks to me like the 
best variety here., and I have asked several of the 
natives about it, and they have expressed the same 
opinion. It is rare, and I have seen none of the 
fruit .In the market since I bought the last lot I 
sent you. There is no end to the varieties of the 
chayote here, but the choice varieties are very few. 
I must say, although I do it with hesitation, that my 
appetite for chayotes is on the wane. This is no re- 
flection on the chayote, which is a meritorious vege- 
table per se, but we get them every day, and nearly 
always cooked in the same way, -just boiled and served 
without anything on them. I want to tell you, how- 
ever, that you Americans are making a great mistake 
in not familiarizing yourselves with the iehinta. No, 
this is not a new vegetable, it is merely the root of 
the chayote, and I believe it Is just about as good 
as the chayote itself. It reminds me greatly of sweet 
cassava, which we used to get in Brazil. It is starchy, 
and not unlike an Irish potato in texture and ap- 
pearance. They cut it In slices and fry it in batter, 
and it Is good. In the markets here it Is extremely 
common. I have also eaten the tender shoots of the 
chayote,- I did not know what I was eating until I had 
finished , -and they are not bad, but I do not consider 
them any improve ment over the various kinds of greens 
we already have in the states. I believe that large 
white perulero, if grown under good culture, would be a 
cracking good chayote, and I hope it will be given a 
thorough trial. As yet I have not hunted for any 
chayote diseases, but the vines I have seen have 
seemed to be healthy, and I have noticed nothing which 
seemed to be interfering with their growth seriously. 
No doubt there are diseases, but so far I have run 
across nothing which seemed to be wiping out the 
vines. You expect to find a disease, or several of 
