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The Harvey "White Sapote"
WE ARE very pleased to give place to the following description of a most excellent tropical fruit tree of high ornamental value, planted and cared for by one of the most enthusiastic, energetic and scientific amateur horticulturists the present writer has ever enjoyed an acquaintance with. Mr. Harvey has for several years been living in the midst of the natural beauties of plants in the State of Vera Cruz, Mexico. It is a pleasure to learn, through our correspondent, that his name permanently attaches to one of his many excellent introductions.
Strikingly outlined against the gray of the mountains and only a short distance from the foot of the Mt. Wilson trail in Sierra Madre, stands a tree peer of its species in California. The casual observer would see nothing of interest in it, save perhaps its rare beauty; by others it is passed unnoticed, but botanists and tropical fruit enthusiasts come to see it from all parts of the Southland, and cannot say enough in praise of its virtues.
It was planted in its present location over twenty years ago by J. C. Harvey of Los Angeles, and originally came to be known as the Harvey White Sapote, and will in all probability always be known by that name. No doubt it had care and water in its infancy, but as the land changed hands from time to time, was sadly neglected, yet thrived on the moisture it absorbed during the winter's rains.
No one seems to know just how long it has been bearing, but judging by other sapote trees that have borne in their sixth year, it may be ten years; it has probably been bearing for fifteen years.
The present owner was not aware of the value of the tree, neither did the sellers attach any particular value to it, but it has since produced a crop of over 1000 peaches. The fruit hangs easily from 30 to 60 feet apiece. As the sapote is a Mexican fruit, it is very popular with the Mexican people in this country.
Last year the tree bore over a thousand fruits, ripening in two times of ripening: the first ripening the latter part of August and lasting until Christmas. It varies in size from that of a plum to a good-sized quince, and in shape resembles very much the latter. Its color is greenish yellow when ripe. It is perhaps the most delicious fruit on the market, and cannot be compared with any other fruit, its flavor being essentially its own. People who have eaten it describe it as more like a peach than a sapote. The skin is thin and the pulp very soft when ripe. It can be picked when hard and shipped in that condition as it ripens off the tree as well as on, and is quite delicious. The size of the tree and the shape of the leaves are similar to the English sapote, however, is rather weeping in habit. Those who were fortunate enough to obtain seeds are successfully growing trees, some of which will be budded.
F. W. Popenoe of Altadena, who has written a treatise on the sapote in general, says that so far as he has seen, "the Harvey Sapote" is our largest and most highly-colored variety, with the proportion of the seed considerably less than in most varieties.
Avocados Resistant
Notwithstanding great injury to many small avocado trees by the January cold weather, we believe the tree has been given a place in California's productive industries which it would not otherwise have had. We have not heard of any bearing tree very seriously injured. Of course, some of them show that it has been cold and many have lost some leaves. Many nursery trees were killed. Those which have shown greatest resistance have been referred to in communications of different growers and nurseriesmen. In giving those accounts the Cultivator made an exasperating error in taking from the article of Mr. C. P. Taft of Orange, the last paragraph and photo under the name of Professor Newton B. Pierce. Pierce had replied to our request for information:
"The hardest avocado is that found at the highest elevation of Mount Meigs, near the gratissima. Through some hook or crook this was laid aside and the last paragraph of Mr. Taft's article was substituted, as noted. To do Mr. Taft justice we give the paragraph below which should have been in his original article:
"The thinnest typed, such as Ganter, etc., ripens mostly in the autumn months and is apt to come in competition to some extent with the larger thick-skinned fruits from Mexico which are principally being exported. The best variety is the fair, better.
Ir from the Gantner:
"The Ganter was supposed to be the hardest as regards cold, but the Gantner showed its superiority."
Horticultural Commissioner Roy K. Bishop of Orange County gives the following general comments:
"The avocado in this county is largely in the nursery and so observations must be made of small trees. It was found that in the nursery some were damaged while others adjacent were not materially injured. This was also the case with orchards in the county and is probably due to the greater resistance of individual trees.
"It may be interesting to know that the avocado has proven itself to be equally hardy to the orange. Of the older trees in the county, of which there are but few now, some survived the freeze. Of the few varieties in the nursery rows consisting of yearling buds the "Taft" shows the least injury.
California Pineapples.
PINEAPPLES will certainly grow out of doors in many places, but the writer has never tasted of homegrown that could be called "good to eat." Several years ago we grew a hundred each of the Spanish, Puerto Rico, and Sugar Loaf. The former seemed to be the hardest and stand more neglect and rougher treatment and this sort would, perhaps, be the best to grow here, where their value is mainly as ornament. The general impression that pineapples like poor soil is erroneous. They will grow in it but do much better in a rich, well-drained, warm soil.
Beautiful Buenos Aires.
REPORT ON ITS CONDITIONS BY OUR CONSUL GENERAL.
In a recent report from Consul-General R. M. Bartelmann, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pays a very high tribute to "An American City Beautiful." He goes much farther, and belongs many of the same class to be found in other American republics. But of the city which he resides his praises are of the highest and it would appear from the details of the work as though the city really is one in which the residents may justly feel proud.
Samuel Carlos Thays, director of the public parks of Buenos Aires, has published a highly illustrated monograph on the Buenos Aires Botanic Garden. The author has impressively dealt with the fruits the fruits of some of his nine years' ceaseless activities to render some of the city beautiful. He has planted over 12,000 trees; he has placed the araucaria (Araucaria imbricata) by the side of the palms from Misiones (Araucaria australis); he has caused eight widely-distributed parks to be opened throughout the great city; his masterpiece is the great Plaza del Congreso, which will provide a breathing space in the heart of the most congested metropolis for all who come, with the creation and development of the Botanic Garden and park system, part of which was used for the Centenary Exposition. Public decoration is one of the most important that the United States has received from the twenty sister American republics. There is no city among them from which more can be learned, not merely in municipal decoration alone, but in the sense of private interest absorbed to the public welfare, as is shown by the fact that the city council, the clearest proof demands here that squares be cut up to build more skyscrapers on, than from the largest Latin-American city, Buenos Aires.
The climate in this southern city, so far as temperature is concerned, is very similar to ours; the relative humidity is, however, much greater during all parts of the year. The trees mentioned are well known in Southern California; the Araucaria, though does not thrive in our climate, and the largest we have are by a few feet high. The only other South American species (A. Brasilensis) burns during the summer months and the leaves drop off the tree limbs. In San Francisco, the air is always damp, both these South Americans grow readily. The palm used so extensively (Coco plumosa) is the grassest tree we grow and may each year be seen in greater numbers than have just been planted in our Central Park, but they are not more common in Santa Barbara and San Diego, though we are planting small ones by the thousands. In years to come the palm will be a marked feature of our city decoration and cannot fail to be admired above every other plant we grow.
The Avocado.
A FEW inquiries are received every month concerning the alligator pear, especially asking where the fruit is being raised too well known to require description, and while it has been cultivated by civilized people for over 200 years, its popularity has not been great until the last few decades. It has a multiple name—avocado, avocado pear, avocado, avocat, aguacate, alligator pear, and shipman's butter. Most of these names are the corruption of the Aztec name of the fruit, ahuaacatl. In California the term "alligator pear" is giving way to "avocado" as that is preferable because of its origin and also because many strains of the fruit are not pear-shaped at all.
This information does not come true from the seed, and much attention is therefore given to grafting and budding. On this account it will make a popular nursery plant. Through this means of propagating the different types, colors and qualities may be maintained. The chief varieties are nearly round; the large, green, round type, with inside yellowish; the large yellow, which resembles a ripe mango; and the small, long and green in color—these are the variations most popular. They are becoming modified by selection and we may expect large variations as the propagator manipulates the stock.
The avocados do not come true to seed, and hence reliable orchards cannot be established from seed. Budding is preferable to grafting and crown working is preferable to top grafting. Late ripening varieties sell for higher prices and the edging types are the best sellers. Those wishing to know about the facts stated in their agricultural papers, or seed nurseries are now making a specialty of this great fruit.
