The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-23
PROFITS IN THE
ALLIGATOR PEAR

Los Angeles Times-The following
account of profitable avocado growing
in Los Angeles county is found in a
letter written by Mr.. p. D. Barnhart,
well-known florist and botanist of Los
writer does not advise every one to
jump into avocado growing, hence /
gladly give space to these truthful
statements of profits made from indi-
viduaI trees of this fruit. The photo
graph referred to did not reach the ag-
ricultural editor:
Herewith inclosed find a photo
graph of the famous Chappelow avo-
cado fruit tree, a Seeding growing
where the seed was planted seventeen
years ago, near Monrovia. The fruit
sold from this tree this year is a rec
ord breaker, $147.75. The highest pre-
vious record was $130, three years
ago, $50 being the lowest since it was
| first put upon the market, and the re-
markable part about the disposition
of the products of this tree is that a
practicing physician of Los Angeles
has taken it all every year, none of
! it being disposed of in the usual chan
| nels of trade. The first picking this
season was made September 6, the last
| October 10; the fruit of frst-class
| quality sold for Is cents each, the culls
for 5 cents each for the seed; few
were without seed. The reader with a
mathematical turn of mind can figure
what the financial returns of an acre
would be if planted to fifty trees, and
it would be folly on the part of any
one to put more than that number on
that much ground.
"The avocado, or, as it is sometimes
named, alligator pear, is the most def
cious and the most nutritious of all
fruits, containing as it does over 10
! per cent. fat, over 6 per cent. carbo-
hydrates, and l of protein, according
| to an analysis made at Maine Agrl-
cultural Experiment Station, 1901.
1.-THE disposition of men to rush into
| schemes that promise fabulous Tor
| tunes in few years will be attracted
| to this tree when it once becomes gen
orally known that the market for it's
fruit has not been glntted, even at the
comparatively low figure of Is cents
| each. for it is fact that IS cents is
| the lowest retail price at which they
| have yet sold in Los Angeles. And
now we read the amazing statement IN
the Pacific Garden of a tree in Holly
| wood that has produced this season
more than $3.50 worth of fruit, sold on
the ground at So to So per dozen.
eff the enthusiasm of the reader has
been raised to the point of rushing out
and planting his grounds full of avo-
cado tree seed by the statements herein
made, my advice is, go slowly, and that,
too. for several good reasons. Not
every Seeding bears fruit. Some even
do not bloom. Others are such shy
bearers as to be worthless except for
shade; it is an evergreen with large,
clean foliage Others bear seedless
fruit in great abundance no larger than
a pecan nut and of the same shape,
though good to the taste, yet would
not be marketable. Then, again, not
every location in Southern California
meets their requirements, chief of which
is one comparatively free from frost,
they will not endure as much cold as
an orange tree; another requisite is
water, and plenty of it, at the same
time the soil must have good drainage
"Since budded or grated stock, the
only reliable kind, is to be had only
in Florida, and our State laws pro-
hibit the importation of nursery stock
from that State, we shall have to pro-
duce our own for orchard planting; in
the meantime, let every one who can
secure an avocado fruit seed and plant
it where he may want a shade tree of
large size to grow, give it care, and per-
haps he may have one in few years
equal or even superior to the Chappe-
low