. Bulletin. Agriculture. THE FRTTTT, 27 THE FRUIT. Tho avocado varies oreatly as to size, shape, color, texture, and com- position, while the trees also present distinct ditl'erences. In size, the fruits vary from those no larger than a hen's egg to specimens which weigh 3 pounds. (See fig. 7, A, and lig. 9, B.) As to shape, there are four recognized types, although all possible gradations occur. I'he so- called round fruit (see fig. 6) is not strictly spherical, ])eing flattened at the distal end or at both ends. The oblong fruit (see fig. 7) may be of various lengths, l)ut the diameter is al
. Bulletin. Agriculture. THE FRTTTT, 27 THE FRUIT. Tho avocado varies oreatly as to size, shape, color, texture, and com- position, while the trees also present distinct ditl'erences. In size, the fruits vary from those no larger than a hen's egg to specimens which weigh 3 pounds. (See fig. 7, A, and lig. 9, B.) As to shape, there are four recognized types, although all possible gradations occur. I'he so- called round fruit (see fig. 6) is not strictly spherical, ])eing flattened at the distal end or at both ends. The oblong fruit (see fig. 7) may be of various lengths, l)ut the diameter is always greatest from the stem to the distal end. The pear-shaped (see fig. S) and bottle-necked varieties (see fig. 9) are sutiiciently described ])y their names. The color of a ripe avocado varies from a dark purple, like that of a ripe eggplant, to scarlet, yellow, and grass-green. As a rule, the fruit is not of one color over all of its surface; the purple or scarlet fruits are usually lighter and tho green fruit tinged with yellow at the distal end. AH combinations of the sizes, colors, and shapes men- tioned are found. THE EDIBLE PORTION, The edible portion of the fruit, called the meat, in desirable varie- ties is a smooth, rich substance, wirh the texture of cream cheese. Some inferior fruits are decidedly watery and oily in appearance, while others are comparatively dr3\ The following analyses were made by Charles D. Woods and L. I). Merrill.« The pulp of three fruits was taken for an analysis. Edible portion Seeds Skins rpotai ai, «Thirt5' ounces. It was found that 1 pound of the edible portion contained the fol- lowing weights of nutrients: Pound. Water 0-811 Protein 010 Fat 102 Carbohydrates 068 Ash 009 The fuel value is estimated at 1,758 calories per pound of edible portion. aMaine Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 75, July, 1901, p. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability
Size: 1934px × 1292px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpubl, booksubjectagriculture
