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EVENING HERALD: SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1912.

Don't Call It "Alligator Pear" or "Avocado" but "AHUACATE"
It Is Successfully Grown in Southern California and Is a Fruit of High Value as Food
BY F. W. POPENOE
From a Paper Read Before the State Fruit Growers

RIGHT in the beginning I want to say that it is greatly to be regretted that this fruit has come established in California under a misleading and meaningless name. I refer to the term "alligator pear," which certainly has no excuse for existence, and invariably gives those who are unfamiliar with the fruit a wrong impression of it.
The name "avocado," however, can be said to be scarcely less objectionable.
The correct name is "ahuacate."

In tropical America the ahuacate is not placed in the same category as other fruits, but is considered as a staple food product of equal importance with rice and beans as a part of the daily diet.
Laborers going into the fields carry with them one or two ahuacates as a substantial part of their noonday meal.
Americans going to the tropics become familiar with this fruit, almost inevitably learning to relish it as one of the most delicious and satisfying of tropical products, and at the same time one which can supply a part of their daily nourishment.
Returning to the United States the traveler goes into ecstasies at the sight of "ahuacate salad" on the menu.
Learning that the fruit can be grown in California, he immediately asks why it is not extensively planted and made a part of our daily food.
The ahuacate has now progressed to the stage where its bearing in different ability to California is questioned.
Every year a number of young trees come into bearing in different orchards to test whether sufficient facts at our command to prove that the ahuacate is entirely successful in a large area.
During the past few years fully 100,000 seedlings have been grown at various points south of the Tehachapi.
Many of these are being budded or grafted.
The difficulties of propagation, which were considerable during the first few years, have now been practically overcome, and the production of budded trees can go on at a fairly rapid rate.
Already several small acreages of budded tree have been set out, and the coming year will see a total planting of 200 acres, as a conservative estimate.
Innumerable trees will go into small home gardens and back yards, and the taste and interest of an ahuacate in the door-yard is appealing to everyone.
The varieties now propagated and introduced to the trade are mainly of local origin.
The difficulty and expense connected with obtaining budwood from foreign countries has been largely overcome by the quantity of trees being propagated from them, but a good start has been made in obtaining the choice varieties from budded trees which are now established here will soon supply enough budwood to permit their general use.
Of the local varieties several are first-class in every particular and would almost seem to fulfill the common requirements as we understand them at the present time.
In tropical America the ahuacate is not placed in the same category as other fruits, but is considered as a staple food product of equal importance with rice and beans as a part of the daily diet.
Laborers going into the fields carry with them one or two ahuacates as a substantial part of their noonday meal.
Americans going to the tropics become familiar with this fruit, almost inevitably learning to relish it as one of the most delicious and satisfying of tropical products, and at the same time one which can supply a part of their daily nourishment.
Returning to the United States the traveler goes into ecstasies at the sight of "ahuacate salad" on the menu.
Learning that the fruit can be grown in California, he immediately asks why it is not extensively planted and made a part of our daily food.
The ahuacate has now progressed to the stage where its bearing in different ability to California is questioned.
Every year a number of young trees come into bearing in different orchards to test whether sufficient facts at our command to prove that the ahuacate is entirely successful in a large area.
During the past few years fully 100,000 seedlings have been grown at various points south of the Tehachapi.
Many of these are being budded or grafted.
The difficulties of propagation, which were considerable during the first few years, have now been practically overcome, and the production of budded trees can go on at a fairly rapid rate.
Already several small acreages of budded tree have been set out, and the coming year will see a total planting of 200 acres, as a conservative estimate.
Innumerable trees will go into small home gardens and back yards, and the taste and interest of an ahuacate in the door-yard is appealing to everyone.
The varieties now propagated and introduced to the trade are mainly of local origin.
The difficulty and expense connected with obtaining budwood from foreign countries has been largely overcome by the quantity of trees being propagated from them, but a good start has been made in obtaining the choice varieties from budded trees which are now established here will soon supply enough budwood to permit their general use.
Of the local varieties several are first-class in every particular and would almost seem to fulfill the common requirements as we understand them at the present time.
The propagation of most of them has only begun recently, and no certainty of stock is yet available, but another season will see quite a change in this respect.
The best method of transplanting ahuacates has been found to be early spring, after danger from frost is over, but before the tree has started into new growth.
The ahuacate requires an abundance of water, especially during the first two or three years.
On the whole, the tree seems to require about the same treatment as the orange.
It will stand more frost than the orange.
Viewed, therefore, from every standpoint it may be said that this fruit is the most promising that has been brought within the attention of California orchardists for many years.