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ROPIGAL FRUITS

FOR
CALIFORNI

The Taft Avocado

WEST INDIA GARDENS

F. O. POPENOF.- P^sident and

T. L. BARBKR, \Stcxtjiy ?»# 'insurer

IM IM »KTI:K!-. .vNi> (ii<c\\ ;:TS .t\\-~

SUBTROPICxVL PLANTS AND TREES

M ARENGO AVE. AND CALAVERAS ST.
ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA

il 1. I'VH Telephone Fair Oaks 1577, Pasadena Exchange

THE AVOCADO

The famous Montezuma Avocado Tree, in Mexico. Said to be 200 years old. Measures 4 feet
across at the base, and yields an annual crop of 3000 delicious fruits weighing one pound each.

A Fruit of the

HE avocado is the
This statement, a
the majority of the

Trbpfcs

nost valuable fruit grown,
t yet appreciated by
of the 'United States,

will be better understood and believed as the
development of the industry progresses and as
the opportunity is given to become familiar
with it. It is so understood and valued in the American tropics,
where it has been grown as a staple food product for centuries.

It is quite unique in being not only a most valuable article of
diet, taking the place of other less delicious vegetable products
or meat, but is one of the most delicious and satisfying of vegeta-
ble foods. A fair sized avocado will make~a substantial and appe-
tizing meal for one person. It is most '.:asily digested, whole-
some, of high nutritive value, and a builder of blood, bone and
muscle.

Six avocado trees on the home grounds, of varieties to ripen
their fruits at different periods and cover the twelve months of
the year, will do more to sustain a family and help solve the high
cost of living than any other six trees that can be grown.

As the commercial production is provided for by extensive
orchard planting, the avocado will be placed on the markets of
the entire country and become a staple article of diet for millions
of people.

The many ways in which it can be prepared for eating,
the delicious, appetizing character of the fruit, and the oil con-
tent which makes it a perfect substitute for meat, are the quali-
ties which make it unrivalled and place it in a class by itself.

The avocado is not confined to the tropics, but is found in
the high and frosty parts of Mexico, where it reaches perfection
a- well as in the hottest countries.

There is no doubt that in the establishing of avocado orch-
ards, and the production of good varieties of it, lies a very rich
field for our intelligent orchard man.— J. M. Goulding.

THE MOST VALUABLE FRUIT ON THE AMERICAN
MARKET.— Egbert Norman Reasoner.

266822

Fruit from the Montezuma Avocado Tree shown on the preceding page. Weighs about one pound.
Is of good form and flavor, has a small seed tight in the cavity, and a thick, green skin.

The Kcdondo Avocado. A hardy variety of first quality. Being as round as an orange it packs
particularly well. The fruits average from one to one and a fourth pounds in weight.

The Avocado in California

Southern California is one of the two localities in the United
States in which it is possible to grow the avocado. The other
district is southern Florida.

In this restricted area must be grown the future avocado
supply for the country. Competition from Mexico or the \Ye-t
Indian Islands will never be greater than it has been from those
countries in the matter of the orange and other fruit productions.
Tropical countries are not given to the rapid or successful de-
velopment of their possibilities.

That the avocado will succeed splendidly in Southern Cali-
fornia has been proven so conclusively that It is no longer ques-
tioned. There are probably one hundred bearing trees scattered
over the southern end of the state from the cool sea coast to
the hot and dry interior valleys. These range from five to thirty
years in age, and though they are all seedlings, and the fruit pro-
duced by them is in many cases rather small and inferior, they
have demonstrated beyond the possibility of a doubt that the
avocado is pre-eminently adapted to this climate and a com-
plete success in it.

It is, indeed, a reasonable statement and entirely within
bounds to say that Southern California may fairly be regarded
as possessing the conditions required for the highest develop-
ment of this valuable fruit.

By reason of our rich, well-drained soil, our mild climate
which will allow the growth and ripening of the fruit during the
entire year, and the energy and enterprise that is a marked char-
acteristic of our horticulturists and orchardists, the avocado will
reach its perfection of development with us.

A mature budded tree should produce an average of five
hundred fine fruits each year. While the price of such fruits
now is from 25 to 50 cents each, with a large acreage this must
decrease ; but allowing a price of ten cents per fruit to the grower,
which in view of all circumstances may safely be regarded as
the minimum price for all time to come, the profit per tree may
easily be forecasted.

The commercial orchards which are now being planned or
planted, by some of the most successful orchardists of the state,
indicate plainly that the industry is already on a sure footing,
Southern California will lead in avocado production and the
profit from the industry will be greater than that to be had from
raising any other fruit.

Food Value of the Avocado

As a food product, the avocado is unquestionably an im-
portant factor to be reckoned with. Economists who have the
ability to grasp matters horticultural are figuring it into the
future food supply of the country at large as a competitor of
meat, and are estimating its possibilities for replacing animal
products with a wholesome and delicious vegetable food. As
eminent and practical a horticulturist as Mr. Parker Earle,
formerly president of the American Pomological society, is con-
vinced of an immense future for the avocado. In a recent let-
ter to the editor of the Pacific Garden, Mr. Earle says :

"An acre of land can produce, let us say, one quarter of
a ton of beef, or other animal food, per year. It can produce
one ton, or possibly two tons, of food in wheat, or corn, or
rice. It can produce five, ten, or possibly twenty tons of an
incomplete food ration in the form of apples, or grapes, or ba-
nanas. And there may be from one to two tons or more of very
rich food in the form of nuts — notably pecans — from one acre
of land. But with avocados there would seem to be a possible
yield of food of very high nutritive value, in tonnage equal to
apples with their low nutritive value." Mr. Earle goes on to
state that if men can produce many tons of food of best value
from an acre of land in trees that can only yield a fraction of
a ton in the form of animal food, it is pretty certain that they
are going to plant trees. The crowding of men together in
dense population will compel this. "In primitive conditions men
turned to animals for food. It was a state of savagery. We are
outgrowing it. Very soon there will be no room for animals that
are grown to be eaten. It is compulsory. It is nature's way..
We must get our food in greatest quantities from a minimum
area of land. And we must have food containing the same ele-
ments that animals have been giving us. Among these substitutes
does not the avocado offer itself as one of large possible im-
portance?"

The one answer that can be made to Mr. Earle's inquiry is —
it does.

As this fruit becomes known in northern markets the de-
mand for it will become almost limitless, and the portion of the
country where it can be successfully grown is limited. We ad-
vise planting avocados in this southern section and planting
them in large acreages. It is the coming fruit.— The Home-
seeker.

An Avocado Salad, made from a single fruit (the fruit shown below) enough for from four to six persons.

. I. c,.'* "Nineteen", an exceptionally fine pear-shaped fruit weighing one and one-half pounds. The
strong, thick skin can easily be seen. This fruit has an unusually large proportion of meat to seed.

The Mexican Avocado

While the avocado is grown extensively in South America,
the West Indies, Hawaii, and other tropical countries, it has
been grown in Mexico for centuries in vast numbers and at all
altitudes from sea-level up to 8000 feet, and this Republic may
well be called the great avocado country. Like other fruit trees
grown from seed, the avocado comes true in only a small per-
centage of cases. Sometimes a seedling will be more valuable,
sometimes less valuable, than the parent.

This natural variation from seed has led to the existence
of innumerable varieties, embracing all seasons of fruiting and
all sizes and characters of fruit. Wliile the majority of avocados
are good, and worth growing, some are so much more to be de-
sired than others that it is well worth while to go to great trouble
to secure the best; and some of these Mexican varieties are of
such superior quality and value as to leave almost nothing to be
desired.

To the search for the ideal fruit we have given much
time and have invested a considerable sum of money. Our own
explorers have visited the principal avocado districts, search-
ing the markets for superior fruits, and tracing them back to the
place of growth,— often a most difficult matter. When found,
the qualifications of the "ideal avocado" are applied, and if
the tree seems up to the requirements, samples of the fruit are
forwarded and the tree marked. Subsequently budwood is sent
us, if we decide to propagate that particular variety.

Thus Mexico may be considered a great experimental gar-
den, in which have originated the choicest varieties of this most
valuable fruit, and we are enabled by resorting to it to produce
at once budded trees of the finest varieties,— fruits whose de-
velopment, by the usual processes of plant breeding or selection,
would take many years of time and the expenditure of a very
large sum of money to secure.

The ahuacate (avocado) is a great favorite in all tropical
countries and does remarkably well in Southern California.— Dr.
Franceschi.

W. I. G.'s "Thirty-Nine." a Mexican Avocado of first quality. Weighs one and one-half pounds.

The (' iliforni i Trapp. on

the line-t Avo-ado- of Mexico, found after much search by a
\\V-t India (ianlm l-.xplorer.

Avocado Recipes

(When ready for use the fruit will yield to slight pressure of the
thumb. The flesh of the ripe avocado is about the consistency of well
made butter.)

AVOCADO AU NATURAL. Remove the skin and slice the fruit the de-
sired thinness. Serve on a plate garnished with celery hearts, tomator
or sweet red pepper. To be eaten with a fork, with or without salt or
pepper as preferred.

COSTA RICAN STYLE. Cut the fruit in half and remove the seed. In
the cavity place one tablespoon of vinegar or lime juice; salt and pepper
to taste. Serve one half fruit on plate, with spoon, to each person.

DICED AVOCADO. Remove skin and cut fruit in small squares. Add
salt, pepper and vinegar, or any kind of salad dressing desired.

MEXICAN SALAD. To two parts of the diced fruit use one part of
chopped Bermuda onion ; salt, pepper and vinegar to taste. Sweet pep-
pers, red or green, may be added if desired. Prepare two hours before
serving.

CUBAN SALAD. Cut a small fruit in half and remove the seed. Pre-
pare a dressing of a teaspoonful of sugar dissolved in the juice of a lime
or half a lemon. In the cavity of the fruit place three stuffed olives and
the desired quantity of dressing. Serve on a lettuce leaf, with spoon,
one half fruit to each person.

HAWAIIAN SANDWICH. Remove skin and seed from one Avocado.
Mash the flesh, add salt, pepper, and a dash of vinegar or lime juice,
and spread liberally on lettuce leaf between thin slices of buttered bread.
This is a dainty way of serving the avocado, and a most delicious one.

SANTIAGO SALAD. Peel the fruit, remove the seed, and cut the flesh
in cubes. Mix with mayonnaise or with chopped onion, lime juice and
salt. Put it on a platter, piling it high in the center, and sprinkle finely
chopped boiled egg over it.

AVOCADO WITH COD FISH. A most appetizing form of serving the
avocado is to mix equal parts of cold salmon or lobster with the diced
fruit, and serve with mayonnaise.

AVOCADO ON THE HALF SHELL. Divide the fruit in half, and carefully
remove the meat, to which add the yolk of a hard boiled egg and one
tablespoonful or French dressing for each fruit. Pass through a sieve,
and pile back in the shells as in bowls. Garnish the tops with the boiled
whites of the eggs chopped fine, with a sprig of parsley, or with boiled
small red pepper. This is only practicable with thick skinned varieties
of the avocado.

SIMMONS SALAD. Half a medium sized fruit, two boiled potatoes,
cold, half a small onion, one tart apple. Slice all very fine and place

10

in layers; pour over it two tablespoonsful of vinegar. Let it stand and
just before serving add mayonnaise dressing mixed with one half table-
spoonful of curry powder and one tablespoonful of sugar.

HAVANA STYLE. Take the meat of three avocados, add three toma-
toes, having first removed the skin and core of these; add half a green
pepper cut into fine shreds. Crush and pound this mass to a smooth mix-
ture, and drain off the liquid. To the pulp acid a teaspoonful or more
of onion juice, a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of lime juice
or vinegar. Mix thoroughly and serve at once.

COMBINATION SALAD. One large avocado, sliced thin; same amount
of cold boiled potatoes, sliced thin; onion and parsley minced fine; two
hard boiled eggs, sliced. Season with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.

WITH CABBAGE. Chop the cabbage fine. Cut up as many avocados
as desired, mash with a fork until light and creamy, mrx with the chopped
cabbage, season with salt, pepper and vinegar and stir thoroughly.

WITH BANANAS. Cut bananas and avocado meat into cubes and serve
seasoned with salt, pepper, vinegar and onions as desired.

WITH NUTS. Take two ripe avocados and a half cup of nut meats.
When ready to serve, pare and dice the avocados, add the chopped nuts,
and mix with any good dressing.

WITH DATES. Peel the avocados and cut the meat into small cubes,
adding an equal quantity of chopped dates. Mix with mayonnaise dress-
ing and serve on lettuce leaf.

BRAZILIAN STYLE. Mash ripe avocados and mix smooth with port
wine or lime juice to taste.

AVOCADO BUTTER. Pare the fruit and extract the seed. Mash the
meat smooth and rub in one teaspoonful of olive oil to every two fruits.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and spread on bread.

IN SOUPS. The avocado is used extensively in the tropics in all kinds
of meat soups. Cut in small cubes and add to the soup just before
serving.

As A BREAKFAST FOOD. The avocado is a particularly acceptable
breakfast food, being very nourishing. Serve with salt, pepper and lime
or lemon juice. In this form it is most easily digested.

As A DESSERT. The avocado makes a delicious dessert cut in cubes
and served with sugar and lemon juice or wine.

FOR INVALIDS. The avocado is recommended by physicians as a most
desirable form of food for invalids. It is highly nutritious, containing
as high as 18 per cent, of fat in the best varieties, according to Govern-
ment statistics, and yet is very easily digested, so that the most delicate
person can eat it freely.

Lath House, containing 40,000 Avocado Trees in four inch pots,
at our Nurseries, Altadena.

Plant Only Budded Trees

For commercial purposes no consideration should be given
to any but budded trees of known varieties coming up to the
commercial requirements of this fruit. The orchardist would
not consider for a moment the planting of seedling trees of the
orange, the peach, the apple or any other of our commercial
fruits, and the inferiority of seedling trees is just as true with
the avocado. The variation in time of fruiting, in size, char-
acter and quality of fruit would make the seedling trees un-
profitable commercially, nor can they be entirely depended upon
to bear at an early age or to bear prolificly.

BE SURE, however, that the tree you buy has been budded
from absolutely first class stock.

Attention is called to that portion of this pamphlet entitled
'The Commercial Avocado" for the characteristics that should
be required in budded trees.

For home use, by a proper selection of varieties it is pos-

Budding Avocados in the lath house, West India Gardens.

sible to have fruits of good quality maturing the year round.

Where a tree is planted solely with a view to the production
of choice fruit in good quality, the budded tree is the only one
to consider.

Seedling Trees

The planting of seedling trees is strongly recommended
where the double purpose of ornamentation and fruit-bearing is
desired. They have been and are being used for this purpose
in public parks and private gardens with marked success. As
an ornamental shade tree the avocado will rank with any that
are in general use ; and when to their value in this respect there
is added the production of fruit of very fair quality, the ad-
vantage of the free use of the seedling avocado is evident. The
planting of a seedling tree not only beautifies the landscape, but
adds to our food supply a desirable product, and viewed in this
way it will be seen that the overplanting of seedlings is an
impossibility.

Price of seedling trees, 2 to 3 ft., 50 cents each.

13

The Commercial Avocado

At the present moment the question of greatest importance
to prospective avocado growers is "What are the best varieties
for commercial purposes?"

1. SEASON

When the avocado comes to be known and valued as a food
product, there will be a steady demand for it throughout
the twelve months of the year. At present, however, there is
the greatest demand during the winter months, when other
fruits are scarce. The Florida growers have almost ceased to
plant anything but winter bearing varieties, and it will be ad-
visable for California orchardists to plant mainly of winter and
early spring bearing sorts.

2. HARDINESS

While there are doubtless limited areas in Southern Califor-
nia where avocados from the West Indies and Hawaii will thrive,
our experience leads to the belief that for general culture in
California we must have hardier varieties than those localities
ordinarily produce. Avocados from the Mexican highlands have
proved to be hardy almost anywhere in Southern California, and
suited to as large an area as the orange. There are many loca-
tions in Mexico where avocados are produced in quantity, where
fully as low temperatures are experienced as are ever felt here.
Indeed, it is stated by G. N. Collins, a well known authority
that he found in one locality in Mexico avocados growing and
thriving where snow fell every winter. There are many fine
Mexican and Central American varieties which possess the re-
quisite of hardiness in a very satisfactory degree.

3. YIELD.

Through the propagation by budding a great difficulty ex-
perienced with the seedlings has been done away with, namely
the liability of the tree to bear sparsely. The orchadist does not,
of course, want to plant a tree on which he cannot depend for
a good crop. While the smaller types of avocados are almost
invariably prolific bearers, the larger varieties when grown from
seed are inclined to considerable variation in this respect. Through
budding the prolific varieties may be propagated and all danger
from this source done away with. The avocado is ordinarily a
good bearer. It is not unusual for mature trees of larger
varieties to produce a crop of five hundred to one thousand
fruits each season, and the small purple varieties are. sometimes
extraordinarily prolific, a single tree bearing as high as four
thousand fruits in one season, in some instances.

4. SIZE.

A mistaken idea which is held by many prospective avocado
growers is that the larger the fruit the better. The experience of

14

the Florida growers has proven conclusively that this is not the
case when it comes to a question of marketing the fruit. A
two or three-pound avocado is certainly a regal fruit, but will
not prove half so profitable commercially as a smaller and con-
sequently more prolific variety. From fifteen to twenty ounces
would seem to be the most desirable size.

5. FORM

It has been found very desirable for shipping to have fruits
of oval or round form. The necked varieties necessitate con-
siderably more care in packing, and are much more liable to
injury in transit. For local consumption, however, a pear shaped
or "bottle-necked" fruifis as good as any other form.

6. UNIFORMITY

To facilitate packing, the product should be uniform in size
as well as in form, and this also improves the appearance of
the fruit as it lies in market.

7. COLOR

The attractiveness of a fruit is affected considerably by
its color. Locally the purple varieties have sold somewhat more
readily than the green ones, but when the people are thoroughly
familiar with the avocado the color will probably make little dif-
ference, unless some particular color or shade is found to denote
a particularly good fruit.

8. SKIN

A skin sufficiently thick and tough to stand shipment to
great distances is a prime essential. This is found in many of
the Mexican varieties.

9. FLAVOR

As with all other fruits, there is considerable difference
in flavor and quality of avocados. This is, of course, a point
which must be given first consideration, as a fruit of inferior
quality would be undesirable in the extreme, even though it pos-
sessed all the other essential characteristics. Those containing
the highest percentage of oil are naturally the most desirable
from an economic standpoint, <and having the highest percentage
of fat they are ordinarily the finest flavored. The ideal avocado
should have a nutty flavor with a smooth texture.

10. SEED

The seed should be tight in the cavity. It has been found
that in shipping loose-seeded fruits, the seed in transit pounds the
walls of its cavity and causes considerable injury to the flesh.
This is a difficulty seldom met with in Mexican varieties. In
size the seed should, of course, be as small as possible. In time
a seedless variety will no doubt be developed, as has been done
with the orange and other fruits.

18

Orchard Planting

Experience in Florida, where budded avocados have been
grown for ten years, has shown that budding tends to dwarf
the tree, and that budded trees require much less space than
seedlings. They should be planted about 25x25 feet, and culti-
vated in the usual orchard fashion. Prune to form a symmetrical
head, cutting out all weak and undesirable growth each year.
The top may be kept trimmed back to facilitate picking.

The tree thrives best in a loose, well drained, sandy loam.
A clay or heavy adobe soil that is not well drained is not suitable
for its best development.

It is advised to fertilize the first three years with 1 to 3
pounds per tree of commercial fertilizer containing 3% nitrogen,
5% phosphoric acid, and 5% potash. After the third year, when
the trees have come into bearing, a fertilizer containing 5%
nitrogen, 6% phosphoric acid, and 12% potash should be used
in about the same amount, increasing the amount each year until
the full bearing capacity is reached.

Irrigate the same as for oranges.

Transplanting is best done in early spring, after the cold
weather of winter has hardened the wood and before the trees
have started into new growth, — usually from March 1 to April
15, according to locality and season.

Mexican avocados will stand as much frost as the orange, —
some varieties a little more. If planted in locations subject to
heavy frosts, some winter protection should be given the trees
for the first two years. The danger from frosts lies not so much,
however, in the injury done to the trees as in the freezing of
the blossoms of the early-blooming varieties. In frosty dis-
tricts, therefore, plant only the late-blooming (winter bearing)
varieties, and in this way safety will be secured.

What better investment could be made than a large and
scientifically managed avocado plantation, with only the best
and most approved stock planted therein ?— David L. Crawford.

The Future of the Avocado

It may seem to be making a strong statement to say that
within the next quarter of a century the avocado will rank with
the orange as a commercial fruit in Southern California. But
there is a foundation of fact underlying this statement, and
the reasons seem sufficient, indeed, to warrant the belief that
it may become even more important.

First, the adaptability of the avocado to this climate has
been proved beyond the possibility of a doubt. There are one
hundred or more trees now bearing, ranging in age from three
to twenty-five years, scattered over the southern end of the
State from the cool sea-coast to the hot and dry interior valleys.
These trees embrace a number of widely different types, sizes
and characters of fruits. This test of adaptability ought to
be sufficient to satisfy the most skeptical.

Second, the food value of the fruit is the main basis for the
foregoing statement. It presents in a most easily digested and
assimilated form as high as 12 to 18 per cent of fat, which places
the fruit in a class with the staple food products, instead of be-
ing a mere luxury as is the case with many fruits. The taste1
for the avocado is not always acquired upon first trial, but a
few repetitions are usually sufficient to make anyone extremely
fond of it. The price is now7 prohibitive to most and only a
few have had opportunity to acquire the taste, but as the pro-
duction becomes greater and the price lower, an almost unlimited
demand will be created throughout the whole country. Culture
of the fruit in the United States will be restricted to limited areas
in Southern California and South Florida, and consequently the
danger of over-production will be eliminated. As rapidly as the
price and production will permit, the avocado will become an
important and indispensable part of the daily food of the ma-
jority of the people of the United States.

The avocado industry will become the most profitable fruit
industry in the United States. A bearing avocado orchard will
be of greater value than a national bank. — E. V. Blackman.

Budded Avocados

The Dickey Avocado, grown at Hollywood,— an ideal fruit.

Our stock was not sufficient to fill the orders received, and we have
now no trees ready for delivery, but will have for delivery during the
fall of 1913 a fine stock of budded trees of the following varieties :-

TAFT— A royal ahuacate. We place the Taft at the head of the list. It is
in our judgment the most valuable variety yet fruited in this country. Pear shaped,
with a green thick skin. Weight about one pound. The meat is thick, fine
grained, rich and nutty, without a trace of fibre, string or discoloration. The seed
is rather under the average size and is tight in the cavity. The Taft is a spring
ripening fruit, beginning to ripen in May and hanging on through June and July. A
good bearer, vigorous and hardy. (See illustration, page 1)

DICKEY — Parent tree from a Mexican seed, growing at Hollywood. At 8
years old had 300 fruits weighing about one pound each; pear shaped, bright green,
very attractive in appearance; seed not large, and tight in cavity; skin strong; meat
delicate, smooth, flavor exquisitely fine. That the Dickey meets the requirements
of the ideal avocado may be positively stated. The tree is hardy. We predict for
the Dickey a future high standing among avocados in California.

18

The Meserve. a variety originated near Long Beach. Cal., a fruit of unusually rich flavor.

DICKINSON— Is an attractive ahuacate. It has the corrugated, thick skin
of the true Guatemalan type. Ripens in April and May; remains green until short-
ly before maturity, when it turns a dark purple. The fruit will average eight or ten
ounces in weight. A prolific bearer, and a vigorous growing, hardy tree. The
meat is clean and clear, is perfectly free from fibre, flavor good, seed tight in cavity;
is in every respect a first class ahuacate.

MESERVE— Being very nearly round, will pack and ship like an orange. Skin
green and sufficiently thick and strong to withstand shipment long distances. Weight
about one pound. Seed tight in cavity. A spring bearer, maturing in April and
May. Flavor unusually rich and buttery. Tree vigorous, hardy and prolific.

W. I. G's "NINETEEN"— An exceptionally fine Mexican pear-shaped
fniit, weighing one and one-half pounds. A strong, thick green skin. An unusually
large proportion of meat to seed. A delicious fruit. Bearing season, early spring.

MURRIETA — A smooth, large, round, dark-green fruit. Weight from 16
to 24 ounces. The only hard-skinned, large fruit ripening in the fall, of local origin,
that we know of. Color of meat, creamy yellow, dark green next to skin, flavor
fine, very oily. Fruiting season, September and October. An excellent variety of
the ideal shipping form.

W. I. G's SINALOA— A large fruit, weight over one pound. Skin green in
color, thick and strong. Flesh of smooth texture and excellent flavor. Seed medium,
tight in cavity. Fruiting season, December to March. A desirable commercial variety.

COLORADO— Weight 14 to 18 ounces. Skin thick and strong; color, dark
red or maroon. Flesh, deep yellow, free from fibre and delicious in flavor. Small
seed, season April and May.

LYON — A smooth-skinned Guatemalan ahuacate; form, broad pyriform; size,
medium to medium large, 16 to 18 ounces; skin thick and woody; flesh light yellow,
absolutely free from fibre, very buttery; seed medium small, tight in cavity; spring
bearing.

FAMILY— A Florida variety; a strong growing tree; shape of fruit somewhat
variable, from pear-shaped to oblong; color purple with scarlet streaks, very attract-
ive: flavor good; bearing season in Florida, July to October.

19

The Dickinson Ahuacate. a true Guatemalan type.

W. I. G's ATLIXCO— A December to March fruit of medium size, 8 to 12
ounces, sometimes reaching one pound; oblong; tough, thick skin, green, tinged
with purple; flesh, light-cream in color, green near skin; a mild, nutty flavor.

CARDINAL— The foliage of this tree is exceptionally handsome. Skin of
fruit thick, red, slightly mottled with yellow; flavor good; a Florida variety; season,
October; pear shaped.

STERLING— Skin thick, color dark bronze; quality good, seed filling cavity;
medium large, season October in Florida.

QUALITY — A Florida variety of high standing; size large, color green, skin
thin and smooth; seed medium large, loose in cavity; flavor good; season September.

EL PRESIDENTE- Weight, 14 to 18 ounces; green, pear-shaped. Skin
thick and smooth; flesh of good quality and fine flavor, texture smooth; seed tight in
cavity; productive; spring fruiting.

QUERETARO — A fall fruiting variety of long season, August to October^
skin rough, form oval, quality good, seed tight in cavity, prolific, a fine fall-bearing
variety.

PUEBLA — Another fall fruiting variety, season September and October; a
thick-skinned, purple fruit of medium size and fine flavor, with small seed. A good
commercial variety.

TRAPP— The leading Florida variety; season, October to January, quality
good, roundish in form, large in size. Nearly all of the commercial orchards in
Florida are of this variety.

Prices of above varieties, 1 tree, $4.00; ten, $3.76 each; one-hundred, $3.50
each; five- hundred, $3.25 each; one-thousand, $3.00 each.

20

The Northrop, a good variety of the smaller, thin-skinned, purple Ahuacate.

CHAPPELOW — A summer and fall fruiting variety; a good type of the thin-
skinned, purple, Mexican ahuacate; flesh solid, meaty, oily, and of excellent flavor;
keeps well after being picked; tree a vigorous grower and unusually hardy, a fine
family fruit.

HARMAN — A thin-skinned, oval, light-green fruit, flesh deep yellow in col-
or and of excellent flavor. and quality, seed often loose in cavity; season, October
and November, productive, weight, 8 to 10 ounces.

WALKER — Extremely prolific. The parent tree at Hollywood often yields
2,000 fruits a year, weighing 7 to 10 ounces. Pear-shaped, skin thick and woody,
flesh pale cream, slightly fibrous, seed tight in cavitv, season, March to May.

GANTER — An unusually prolific variety. A thin-skinned, green fruit of fine
flavor, weight, 7 to 10 ounces, oval or ovate in form, fruiting season, October and
November, flesh yellowish cream, changing to pale green near the skin.

NORTHROP— A purple thin skinned Mexican ahuacate. It is valued for its
fine flavor. Is not regarded as a shipping fruit, but is fine for the home garden.
Weight six to eight ounces, meat free from fibre, and of good quality and flavor.
This variety yields two crops a year, a large crop in September, October and Novem-
ber, and a smaller crop in May and June. The tree is hardy and vigorous.

The prices of the above varieties are: One tree, $3.00; ten, $2.85 each;
one-hundred, $2.75 each.

Reservations will be made and trees delivered as soon as ready, where one-
fourth the price is paid when order is placed.

PASSIFLORA EDULIS

PASSION VINE

The Passion Vine thrives in California. It is not yet well
known, however, and hence its fruit has not come into general
use. In Australia it is extensively grown.

The fruit is the size and shape of an egg, and contains a
pulp of exceedingly good flavor. It is consumed much in the
same manner as an egg,— that is, by cutting off one end and re-
moving the contents with a spoon. The pulp is also used as a
flavoring for cakes, ice-creams, drinks and sweet-meats, and is a
much appreciated addition to fruit salads. It packs and ships
well.

The vine is a vigorous grower, and well suited to use on trellis
or screen frames. It is quite hardy.

Price, small plants in 2-inch pots by mail, 25 cents each; by the
hundred by express, 20 cents each.

FEIJOA SELLOWIANA

THE PINEAPPLE GUAVA

FEIJOA — Natural Size.

N growth and character the Feijoa (pronounced, accord-
ing to the Century Dictionary, Fay-zho-a, accenting the
middle syllable) much resembles the common guavas. It
is, in fact, closely related to the guavas, all being members
of the natural order Myrtaceae, or myrtle family. The plant
grows to an ultimate height of eight or ten feet, making a very

ornamental shrub, with brilliant and attractive flowers, silvery
white in color, with a tuft of crimson stamens tipped with golden
anthers. The foliage is of a pleasing combination, glossy green
above and silvery white beneath. Planted as a hedge or border
it combines utility with beauty.

The fruits are about the size and shape of a hen's egg, green
in color, with sometimes a touch of crimson on the cheek. Next
to the skin is a layer of granular flesh, which surrounds a quantity
of white, translucent melting pulp, in which the seeds are em-
bedded. The fruit is one of the most delicious imaginable, com-
bining the flavors of pineapple, raspberry and banana. This flavor
combined with the aromatic odor which the fruits possess, is
sure to be a winning combination. The seeds are from thirty to
fifty in number, and so small that they cannot be felt in {Tie mouth,
being in fact no larger than strawberry or fig seeds.

The fruit is commonly eaten out of hand, but it can be cooked
in almost any way, crystallized, made into jams or jellies, or pre-
pared in numerous other forms, in any of which it is delicious.

The season of ripening is from November to January. The
fruits keep for a remarkable length of time, and can be shipped to
any part of the country in perfect condition.

The culture of the plant is simple. While frequent irrigation
during the dry season greatly encourages growth, the Feijoa is a
great drought resister. One of the original plants introduced
from France ten years ago, growing on Dr. Franceschi's place at
Santa Barbara, has never had a drop of water except from the
skies, and yet has made a good growth and is bearing regularly.
The plants usually come into bearing the third or fourth year
from the seed.

While native to southern Brazil and Uruguay, it has proved
hardy wherever tried in California, standing without harm a tem-
perature as low as 12° above zero. The area in which it can be
grown in this country is a large one, and the question of hardi-
ness, always an important one with introductions from tropical
countries, is satisfactorily disposed of. It has been grown in
California for ten years, and has thoroughly proved its adapta-
bility to the climate in every respect.

Our stock is grown from selected fruits from the best trees in south-
ern France, where the Feijoa has been cultivated for twenty years and
superior forms have originated. Price, field grown, balled, il/2 to 2 feet
by express, $1.00 each. By the hundred, 75 cents each, (not ready till
fall 1913). Pot grown, 8 to \ol/> inches, by mail postpaid, 60 cents each;
by express, 50 cents each. By the hundred, 35 cents. Ready now.

jgjj,

The first Feijoa planted in Europe. Parent of the majority of Feijoas in both Europe and North America.

THE CHERIMOYA

The Cherimoya (Anona Cherimolia) has been classed as one
of the three finest fruits in the world, the other two being the
pineapple and the mangosteen. Forty years of cultivation in Cal-
ifornia have shown it to be eminently adapted to this climate,
which is, indeed, not unlike that of its native home, the highlands
of Central America. The tree is a handsome one, with broad,
velvety, bright green leaves, frequently deciduous during the
winter months. It is sufficiently hardy to be grown wherever the
orange thrives. \Yhile best suited to a light sandy soil, it can be
grown successfully on adobe if it has good drainage.

The fruit is heart shaped or oval, green or brown in color,,
and ordinarily about the size of a navel orange. The skin is usu-
ally covered with small conical protuberances, and encloses a
mass of white, melting, custard-like pulp, in which twenty or
thirty brown seeds are embedded. The flavor of the pulp is similar
to the pineapple, and is liked by everyone. As a dessert fruit the
Cherimoya, when grown in a climate such as that of California,
is without a superior. It ripens during the spring months.

Our stock is grown from large, delicious fruits from hardy and pro-
ductive trees selected by our own representative in the Mexican highlands.
We have the finest stock ever offered in California. Price, 6 inch pots,
75 cents each. By the hundred, 60 cents each.

Jt^L^

THE QUEENSLAND NUT

This Australian tree (Macadamia ternifolia) is, from several
points of view, one of the most valuable additions that has been
made to California horticulture. Aside from the value of its
fruit, the tree is a highly desirable ornamental for the lawn or
dooryard, as well as for streets and avenues, for which purposes
its drought-resisting qualities make it particularly desirable. It
is an evergreen, with dark green, serrated leaves greatly resem-
bling those of the holly.

The nuts are abundantly produced in clusters of from three
to fourteen, enclosed by a hull similar to that of the hickory nut.
They are round, smooth, light brown in color and about an inch
in diameter. The shell is thick, and encloses a round kernel, sim-
ilar to the filbert, but larger. The flavor is like that of the Brazil
nut, but greatly superior to it.

The tree comes into bearing when seven or eight years of
age, and thrives best on a heavy soil. It requires but little care
and for this reason is very desirable for dooryard planting. Trees
have been in bearing in California for a number of years, and are
as perfectly at home here as in their native country.

Price of two year old trees in 6-inch pots, 2 feet or more, fine speci-
mens, $1.50 each. By the hundred, $1.25 each.
One year old, 4-inch pots, 50 cents each.

•26

THE WHITE SAPOTE

A Mexican fruit (Casimiroa edulis), introduced to Califor-
nia by the early Mexican settlers. Several old trees in Santa Bar-
bara have been in bearing for years, and the fruit is much liked.

The White Sapote has been shown to be much hardier than
the majority of semi-tropical fruits. It withstands quite low tem-
peratures and will doubtless succeed in milder portions of the
Gulf states as well as in the Southwest. In Mexico it is found
at altitudes of 7000 feet, where the winters are quite severe. The
tree is spindling when young, but in time forms a beautiful um-
brageous head and is very ornamental. The leaves are palmate,
glossy green, and sometimes quite large. Extremely drought-
resistant, and will stand more neglect than almost any other tree
we have.

The fruit is very similar in appearance to a quince, and of
about the same size. The skin is thin, and surrounds a quantity
of soft, melting pulp, very sweet and of a flavor almost impossi-
ble of description, since it resembles no other cultivated fruit.
The seeds vary from two to five, and are quite large in size.
There is a vast difference in the product of different seedlings,
the fruit of some being entirely worthless. Our stock has been
grown from trees known to produce the best quality of fruit only.
\\~ill grow in almost any soil, but does not come into bearing until
seven or eight years old.

Price, 2 feet, 6 inch pots, 75 cents each.

27

THE NATAL PLUM

A South African shrub (Carissa
grandiflora), worthy of cultivation
in every California garden for its
ornamental value as well as for its
fruit.

The leaves are oval, thick and
leathery, and of a beautiful glossy
green. The plant, which does not
grow over a few feet in height, is a
solid mass of foliage and very
shapely. In spring and summer it
bears a profusion of white, star-
shaped flowers of an inch arid a
half in diameter, which have the
fragrance of the tuberose. The
flowers are followed by bright scar-
let fruits about the size and shape
of a plum. These are of a peculiar
acid flavor, and are used for the
preparation of jelly.

The Natal Plum is particularlv
recommended as a hedge plant. It
is hardy, remarkably tolerant of
abuse, and thrives with almost no
attention. The thorns with which
the shrub is supplied make the
hedge practically impenetrable, and
it has the added advantage of ex-
ceptional beauty of foliage and flower, and production of fruit.
Small plants, 4-inch pots, 40 cents each.

THE LOQUAT

The Loquat is now quite widely grown in California. The tree is
evergreen and handsome; for this latter reason as well as for the fruit,
it has been extensively planted in parks and gardens. In the improved
varieties now being brought to the attention of the public, it promises to
become a fruit of much greater importance than formerly.

The fruit of the best loquats is from two to three inches long, and
considerably over an inch in diameter. It varies in color from light yel-
low to orange, according to variety. The delicious subacid flavor is
agreeable to everyone, and for the preparation of jelly it is a prime
favorite.

We propagate not only the standard budded varieties, (Advance, Pre-
mier and Champagne) but also the Thales, an unusually large fruit of
rich orange color. We also propagate the rare Tanaka, largest of all
loquats.

Price, for any variety, $1.50 per tree.

THE GUAVA

Besides the popular Strawberry Guava (Psidium Cattleyanum)' found
in almost every garden in Southern California, other species of this highly
esteemed tropical fruit are well adapted to our climate. Some of these are
so valuable as to warrant extensive use. Only those who have eaten the
guava jelly of the tropics know how vastly superior it is to that made from
the strawberry guava.

PSIDIUM GUAYABA

Tropical America, — the common guava of the tropics. Variation
from seed has led to the existence of many different forms, which have
been given little systematic attention as yet.

PSIDIUM LUCIDUM (syn. P. chinenese)

Brazil, — yellow strawberry guava. It is identical with the strawberry
guava, except in the color of its fruit, which is bright yellow instead of
red. It is considered by some to be of finer flavor than the last named,
and it is also as hardy.

PSIDIUM GUINANENSE

Guiana, — This is the Guiana guava, the largest guava cultivated here;
the fruits attain a diameter of four inches in some instances. It is similar
in growth to P. guayaba, and, like it. somewhat tender and affected by
heavy frosts. The fruits are round to pear-shaped, light yellow outside,
with white flesh, and extremely few seeds. The flavor is very good, not
as musky as the guayaba type, and hence more generally liked.

PSIDIUM ARACA

Brazil, — the araca, a recently introduced species, is somewhat similar
in growth and fruit to P. Cattleyanum, but superior to it. The leaves are
broad and very glossy, the fruit is spherical, an inch to an inch and a half
in diameter, with few seeds, and of good flavor; the plant does not grow
to a large size, but is a very prolific bearer. It is as hardy as Cattle-
yanum.

Price of any variety, in 4-inch pots, 50 cents each ; 10, 45 cents each ;
loo, 40 cents each.

29

THE MANGO

Five hundred years ago Amir Khrussu, one of the greatest of Hindi
poets, wrote in Persian verse : "The mango is the pride of the garden,
the choicest fruit of Hindustan; other fruits we are content to eat when
ripe, but the mango is good in all stages of growth."

The verdict of present day philosophers is an even stronger en-
dorsement of the mango than that of 500 years ago, and in all parts of
India it is now in such high esteem as to be almost sacred. English
writers have called it the "King of Fruits," and the "Apple of the
Tropics," and it is of such supreme importance and superb merit as to be
worthy of these titles.

It would be hard to imagine a more attractive fruit than, for instance,
a mango of the Alphonse variety, — oval and plump in shape, of a beauti-
ful deep golden color, and exhaling an aroma that makes one's mouth
water. By making a longitudinal cut around the fruit, the skin can be
readily removed, exposing the rich golden flesh, of about the same con-
sistency as a well-ripened peach and dripping with juice. Dipping your
spoon in and placing it on your tongue, it fairly melts in your mouth, —
a fruit of most delicate, spicy flavor, with just a trace of acidity to make
the proper combination to please the palate.

BUT, for California such mangos are a thing of the future, — not of
the present. Only seedlings of uncertain value are now to be had. We
have such seedlings for sale at 50 cents each ; but having secured through
our own explorers the choicest varieties grown on the slopes of the Hima-
layan Mountains in a climate similar to that of Southern California, we
expect in the course of another two years to be able to furnish our patrons
with the choicest of mangos that will be hardy in this climate.

96

DATE GROWING

CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA

ATE palms have been fruiting in California and Arizona
for a quarter of a century. More than 200 of the world's
best varieties have been imported by the U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture and most of them are now fruiting. Several
hundred acres have been planted by individuals, and every test
ends in the same proof ; that the industry is one of the best adapt-
ed to the Coachella valley, Imperial valley, Colorado river country
and some parts of Arizona. In these regions the date thrives as
well as in Asia or Africa and is far more profitable.

We are importers of offshoots from the date gardens of
Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, Arabia and Persia. Our importation for
the spring of 1913 included 15,000 offshoots valued at $100,000,
being by far the largest importation ever made. Our special date
pamphlet may be had upon request, by those interested.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.

NOV 7

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