a longer season, principally from April to October. Imports from Cuba, therefore, are largely supplementary to production in continental United States but compete with shipments from Puerto Rico during August and September.

AVOCADOS

United States imports from Cuba of the famous salad fruit, avocado, usually amount to between $100,000 and $200,000 annually. During 1938 and 1939 the value of avocados from Cuba considerably exceeded the value of grapefruit and thus became Cuba's thirdranking export fruit.

The avocado tree grows in most parts of Cuba, but does best in deep, well-drained soils, preferably gravelly clays. Only about 10 to 15 percent of the total production comes from groves or orchards, the bulk being from numerous farms having 5 to 100 trees scattered over the farm. Where trees are grown in groves, the practice has been to graft shoots from heavy-bearing trees on to the stronger but light-bearing trees. The fruit grows easily from seed, but trees vary much in productivity. Some never flower, others flower but bear little fruit, while others bear heavily. The trees begin to bear in about 4 to 5 years. Commercial fertilizer is used only after the trees come into production.

The principal harvesting season is from June through October, the peak being in July and August (fig. 23). Yields vary widely, from 200 to 2,000 avocados per tree; the average is reported to be about 400.

Although many growers pack their own avocados, about half of the fruit exported is handled by dealers who buy the crop from farmers and grade and pack it in Habana or in production areas near Habana. The fruit is packed either in crates containing about 50 pounds or in flats or lugs of about 20 pounds each.

Practically all the avocados exported from Cuba are shipped to the United States; Cuba is practically the only source of imports into the United States. Production in the United States has increased sharply during the past 10 years to nearly 30 million pounds annually. More than three-fourths of this production is in California, averaging about 25 million pounds, and the remainder in Florida, with roughly 5 million pounds during recent years (table 31). Cuban exports to the United States average about 10 million pounds. TABLE 31.-Avocado production in the United States and imports from Cuba, 1926-40

Florida avocados are of the same general type as those produced by Cuba, but those from California are of the Mexican type. The principal season for the Florida crop now is the fall but extends to the middle of March, whereas that for California is the winter and early spring from December to May. Together the seasons in both States leave a period during the summer when supplies are low, and this is the season when Cuban fruit is most plentiful. Avocados have long been imported free of duty, but under the trade agreement of 1934 Cuba undertook to limit its shipments to the months June through September, thus restricting shipments to the season when domestic supplies are lowest. Imports from Cuba, therefore, are now largely of a supplementary nature.

OTHER FRUITS

PAPAYAS

The papaya, known in western Cuba as fruta bomba, is produced essentially for domestic consumption because it is not well adapted for long shipment. Nevertheless, exports although still small have materially increased during recent years from a value of about $1,000 in 1937 to about 20,000 crates, worth about $21,000, in 1940. Commercial plantings in 1940 are reported at 785,081 plants (1). Assuming an average planting of about 6 by 10 feet, or 700 plants per acre, these would be equivalent to an area of about 2,000 acres. Commercial production in 1940 was estimated at about 57 million fruit.

The papaya is a semiwoody plant of treelike growth and usually attains a height of 6 to 15 feet, with a central stem and leaves from the top of the plant. The fruit is borne along the upper part of the stem, each plant commonly bearing from 10 to 30 fruit at one time. The fruit is cylindrical in shape, usually twice to three times as long as wide, and in general resembles a melon (fig. 24). Some varieties are long and narrow and others are pear-shaped and slightly ribbed (4). The fruit is from 6 to 20 inches long and usually weighs from 3 to 10 pounds. The smooth, thin skin is green until thoroughly ripe, when it develops an orange-yellow color. The flesh is from 1 to 2 inches thick and has a pale yellow to orange-red color, and the center cavity contains many small, round, black seeds. The flesh is sweet, with a slight musty tang and has a high papain and a low acid content. The papain resembles animal pepsin in digestive action, and consequently the fruit is considered to be of medicinal value. The juice of both the fruit and the leaves has the property of tenderizing meat, and papain can be obtained commercially by tapping immature fruit.

Papayas grow best in a warm climate on rich, deep, well-drained loam soils. They are easily grown from seed, reach maturity in about a year, and continue to bear for 3 or 4 years. The principal varieties grown in Cuba are the Rosado de Mejico, Mamey, and Colombiana.

Papayas are picked at the first sign of ripeness, and if they are to be shipped are packed in single-tier crates containing 10 to 15 papayas and weighing from 30 to 60 pounds, net.

GUAVA PRODUCTS

The guava, or guayaba, is used essentially for domestic consumption, but considerable quantities of guava products, with a value of nearly $100,000 annually, are exported. The guava is borne on a low bushlike tree, which grows wild in Cuba. The fruit is yellowish and about the size of a lime, with thin skin and a pulp full of seeds. The fruit is eaten in the natural state but is also used extensively for making sweet jellies, pastes, and preserves. Jelly is made from the clear juice, whereas the paste contains fine particles of pulp. Both are marketed in Cuba in small bricks wrapped in transparent paper rather than in glass containers. Guava exports consist only of the manufactured products.

FIGURE 24. Papayas grow on small trees, but are somewhat similar to melons. A, Papaya orchard; B, papaya cut to show the small black seeds.

FRUIT FOR DOMESTIC USE ONLY

MANGOES

Mangoes are one of the most popular fruits in Cuba and are widely and easily grown (fig. 25). The fruit is borne on trees, and the main crop ripens in the late spring and summer. Mangoes are about the size of large peaches but are somewhat flattened and elongated. The fruit has a smooth leathery skin with a yellowish-green to red color,

FIGURE 25.-Mangoes are a very important tropical fruit.

frequently with red or black spots when ripe. The closely related manga blanca and manga amarilla are somewhat more rounded and have a lighter color. Each fruit contains a large flattened seed, almost as long and wide as the fruit itself. The meat is salmon-colored, sweet and juicy, and adheres tightly to the seed. In some of the poorer varieties the meat is fibrous and the skin has a slight aroma of turpentine. Among the better varieties are Hayden, Bizcochuelo, Mulgaba, Bombay, Señora, and Filipinos.