The flavor is acid, but not too much so. This fruit is more extensively used in the manufacture of cooling beverages than directly as a food, but it is also used very extensively for making preserves. The sweet-sop resembles the sour-sop in general character, but does not attain by any means to so large a size. The fruit is heart-shaped and deeply creased. The pulp contains more sugar and less acid than that of the sour-sop. This variety is eaten fresh and is also used for flavoring beverages, but is not extensively used for making preserves. The third variety, known as the custard apple, varies in color from light green to reddish brown, and is shaped something like a strawberry. It has a thick skin and black seeds, and a pulp very similar to that of sweet-sop in flavor. It is eaten chiefly raw, and is not very extensively used in the manufacture of preserves.
Composition of the Sour- and Sweet-sop Varieties.—
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| Edible | | Total | | |
| Portion. | Solids. | Sugar. | Protein. | Ash. | Acidity.
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|Percent.|Percent.|Percent.|Percent.|Percent.| Percent.
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Sour-sop, | 72.30 | 19.03 | 13.07 | 1.65 | .41 | .51
Sweet-sop, | 30.00 | 28.10 | 10.07 | 2.13 | .92 | .20
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The above analyses show that the anona is a fruit which has about half the nutritive value of the banana. It has a much larger percentage of waste, especially the sweet-sop variety, where nearly three-fourths of the fruit is not edible.
Anona Preserves.—The anona preserves should be made exclusively with sugar and thus have the character of the fruit modified only by the amount of sugar added. In one sample of preserves analyzed the following data were obtained:
Total solids, 54.33 percent
Total sugar, 49.66 "
Protein, .73 "
Ash, .43 "
Acidity, .19 "
The above data show that the natural constituents of the fruit have been diminished in quantity in proportion to the amount of sugar added.
The Avocado (Persea persea).—The avocado is a fruit which has only lately been introduced into the United States. Its common name is alligator pear and it is already very highly prized.
The cultivation of the alligator pear was first undertaken as a novelty, and its real value as a dessert fruit is only beginning to be appreciated. It is evident that this fruit will have a great vogue in the near future, and will be in much demand as soon as its production is on a scale which makes it accessible to the people of ordinary means. The edible part of the fruit is a sweet,
