Fuerte avocado / [West India Gardens, importers and growers of subtropical plants and trees ; F.O. Popenoe, president and manager].

Historic, Archive Document

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scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

The FUERTE Avocado

NATURAL SIZE

The Fuerte Avocado

”The Fuerte is one of the richest and best Avocados I
ever ate.” Willett L. Hardin, Ph. D., Consulting Chemist, Mount
Washington, Los Angeles, — for two years a resident of Mexico,
Student of Avocado Culture, and a Director of the California
Avocado Association.

Its History

From Atlixco, in the highlands of Southern Mexico, at an altitude of
6,000 feet, where the climate is dry, the summers hot, and the winters cold,
a West India Gardens explorer in 1911 sent in budwood of several varieties,
which represented the cream of this region, long famous for its superior
Avocados. These varieties were propagated by us in California, and one of
them seemed to deserve the name of Fuerte (vigorous) by its strong growth
and hardiness. We accordingly introduced it under that name and grew it
beside many other varieties of both local and foreign origin.

In the succeeding six years the Fuerte has steadily forced its way
upwards. By its own merits, it has risen to a place among the three or four
best avocados of California. Its record has lead J. T. Whedon, an orchardist
of Yorba Linda, and owner of fifty 4 year old Fuerte trees, to declare:

" I believe there will be more Fuerte trees planted dur-
the next five years than all the other varieties put together.”

Its Qualities

W hat are the qualities that have thus brought the
Fuerte Avocado to the front ?

Fuerte combines the valuable characteristics of both the Guatemalan
and Mexican races. It has the hardiness and rich flavor of the Mexican,
plus the thick-skin, large size, and other commercial qualities of the Guate-
malan, and in addition a more desirable ripening season than any of the
varieties of either race now grown in California.

VIGOR. Many of the most promising commercial varieties intro-
duced during the past few years have now been discarded because the trees
were not vigorous growers. Vigor of growth must be considered, in fact,
one of the most vital points of a variety. Fuerte, in this respect, outranks

all others now being planted in California. Long before the first fruits were
produced in this state, the young budded trees attracted attention by their
exceedingly vigorous, healthy growth. Fuerte requires much less training than
many other varieties. The limbs do not droop, nor are long, unbranched
growths produced. The tree branches freely and remains low, compact,
stocky, of admirable shape to resist strong winds. The wood is not excess-
ively brittle, as it is in some varieties.

HARDINESS. In this respect Fuerte is remarkable. While in many
respects it differs from the Mexican avocados (the hardiest in cultivation),
resembling more closely the Guatemalan (our avocados of greatest commercial
value), it unquestionably has Mexican blood, and in hardiness has shown
itself equal to any of the Mexican varieties cultivated in California. This is
a characteristic of the greatest importance, inasmuch as it permits the cultiva-
tion of commercial avocados in regions too cold for most of the varieties now
considered commercial in California. In short, we have in Fuerte an avocado
with both the desirable hardiness of the Mexican race and the commercial
characteristics of the Guatemalan, with the additional advantage of early
ripening, as explained below.

EARLY PRODUCTION. Fuerte comes into bearing at a much
earlier age than most of the other varieties now being planted in California.
Budded trees often commence to fruit two years after planting.

HEAVY YIELD. Trees three to four years old have borne from
ioo to 300 fruits in California and Florida. It is, of course, too early to
obtain records of commercial production,— that is, records from orchards in
full bearing,— but there is every indication that Fuerte is going to be a heavy
bearer.

SEASON. Fuerte comes at a season when the market is at its best,
and when there are exceedingly few varieties available. It ripens in January,
February and March, the months when avocados are high in price and much
sought after in the markets of the United States. Fuerte is practically with-
out competition in this respect.

The capacity to carry its fruit until summer is also noteworthy. While
it will probably be found most profitable to market the fruit during the win-
ter, it can be left on the tree several months if desired.

SIZE. Fuerte is of the most practical size, one pound or slightly less.
It is the general opinion of avocado growers that this size will be the most
marketable and the most profitable to grow. When cut in halves, a Fuerte
fruit makes two portions of suitable size for hotel, restaurants or home use.

SKIN. While not as thick as that of many of the Guatemalan varie-
ties, the skin is leathery, firm, not easily broken, and protects the fruit admir-
ably in shipment.

QUALITY. Few avocados are so rich in flavor, or show by analysis such a
high oil content. In the laboratories of the University of California, Fuerte has been
found to contain 30.72 °Jc of fat or oil, which places it among the very best varieties in
this respect. No avocados of the Guatemalan race which have yet been analysed have
equalled this record. Since the food value of the avocado is mainly dependent upon
the amount of oil which it contains, the importance of this point cannot be over esti-
mated.

SEED. In size it may be termed medium, or even small, when compared to
other avocados being propagated in California. Its weight is about 11% of the
entire fruit, whereas it is 15 to 20% in the majority of other varieties. It is practically
tight in the cavity, the fruit not being subject to damage from the seed shaking around
in transit.

"The Fuerte is the hardiest variety growing in my orchard. I have 40
varieties growing here, and I am sure that the Fuerte is the strongest grower, the
most heat resistant, and the most frost resistant. I have 60 Fuertes just two years
of age, and all are now in full bloom. I am resetting a number of trees that have
failed for various reasons, and all my resets are Fuertes. ’’--Lester Keller, President
First National Bank of Yorba Linda, and Proprietor of Aztec Ranch.

"As the introducer of the Fuerte Avocado, you are surely entitled to the
thanks of all people who learn to know that particular variety. Its richness, pro-
ductiveness, size, season of ripening, vigor of growth, and hardiness, make it an
exceptionally desirable variety.”— FT A. Stearns, of Stearns & Co., Mfg. Pharma-
cists, Detroit; California Ranch Owner, and Avocado Grower.

Plant the FUERTE for Pleasure or for Profit! — for
home use or for commercial growing. It is the Safe Avocado.

Prices of field grown trees, on hardy Mexican roots; 1 tree, $4; 5 to 10, $3.75
each; 10 to 100, $3.50 each; 100 to 500, $3.25 each; over 500, $3 each.

West India Gardens

F. O. POPENOE, President and Manager
IMPORTERS AND GROWERS OF

SUBTROPICAL PLANTS AND TREES

MARENGO AYE. and CALAVERAS ST.

ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA

Telephone, Fair Oaks 1577, Pasadena Exchange