They were not observed elsewhere in the island. A considerable 

 number of types appear to be peculiar to this region, and it seems 

 to be the belief in Oriente that they were introduced by some of the 

 French immigrants who came over from Haiti when they were 

 driven out of that island by the blacks. 



Classification. 



The classification of mangos presents some interesting problems, 

 and as yet very little has been done toward the solution of any of 

 them. The subject is large, and will require an infinite amount of 

 study, yet everything seems to indicate that we will, in time, be able 

 to have a system which will bring out the relationships of different 

 groups and be of practical value in studying varieties. For exam- 

 ple, the Indian variety Sandersha is characterized by unusual pro- 

 ductiveness. Two or three other varieties which have been grown 

 in Florida.appear to belong to the same group and are also unusual- 

 ly productive for Indian mangos. It seems, then, that productive- 

 ness is a characteristic of this group of varieties, and when we learn 

 that a variety belongs to this group we can at once infer that it is 

 likely to be fruitful. The various forms of Alphonse or Alfonzo, 

 Indian mangos which are now grown in Florida, also seem to have 

 much in common when it comes to bearing habits. The question 

 may, therefore, be considered a practical one, and not unworthy of 

 attention. 



First of all, it is necessary to emphasize the need of a natural 

 system of classification, as opposed to an artificial or arbitrary one, 

 in which mangos are grouped according to the shape of the fruit or 

 some other character of this nature. Such a system, while per- 

 haps useful, does not really meet our needs, and should be avoided. 

 A system taking into consideration natural affinities of varieties or 

 types, however, cannot fail to be of great value in our study of 

 the mango. 



Arbitrary systems of classification have been proposed by one or 

 two Indian pomologists, but have never been used. A few attempts 

 have been made in India to classify varieties into natural groups, 

 and these have l^een somewhat more successful, but they have never 

 been carried far enough. The best known instance of a natural 

 classification is probably that attempted by Maries, in Watt's 

 Dictionary of Economic Products of India, but the field is so exten- 

 sive that Maries probably covered but a small portion of it, and 

 did not make a very thorough study of even that portion. 



In this country, practically the only effort to classify mangos is 

 that which has been made by Professor Rolfs of Florida, and is set 

 forth in his bulletin "Mangos in Florida" (Bui. 127, Fla. Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Sta.). Prof. Rolfs has formed nine groups into 

 which he places the mangos of the Miami region, both those of In- 

 dian origin and the local seedling forms. This is an effort along the 

 right line, but much remains to be done liefore the subject will be 

 thoroughlv worked out. 



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