62 



THE MANGO. 



Studies of the mango have been continued throughout the year as 



()|)portunitv oti'ered. 0))s('rviitions were made and records kept of the 

 time of l)looiuing, of the nuituiino- of the fruit, and of the periods of 

 most active growth. About the first of January the mango trees begin 

 to bh)()m. and 1)y June 30, this season, the mango crop was coming in 

 rapidly. For most varieties the fruiting season was about over l)y 

 August 1. The seasons, liowever, vary from year to year, and because 

 sections of the tree often bloom out of season mangoes can be found, 

 throughout a large part of the twelve months. 



Studies have been made of the habits of growth and fruit production 

 in relation to pruning. The mango requires but little pruning to 

 make it assume a desirable form, but it seems probable that its habit 

 of overbearing one year and producing no crop the next might be 

 overcome by judicious pruning and perhaps by thinning the fruit. 

 It is hoped to take up experiments in pruning with this end in view. 



The mango disease mentioned in last year's report, which is due to 

 a species of the fungus CoUetotrichum, has been still further studied 

 in cooperation with the laboratory of Vegetable Pathological and 

 Physiological Investigations of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 This fungus has been found present, not only in the fruits, flowers, 

 and young leaves, but also in the old leaves and mature twigs, in some 

 instances apparently destroying the terminal bud before it opened. 

 Experiments in spraying with Bordeaux mixture have })een carried 

 on with very encouraging results. 



An abnormal character in young mango fruits has been noticed 

 which closely resembles verrucosis of the lemon in outward aspect, 

 but seems to disappear as the fruit increases in size. The cause of 

 this abnormal development has not been discov^ered. A bulletin 

 (No. 12) has been prepared covering in more detail this and other work 

 on the mango. 



EXPERIMENTAL PLATS IN HONOLULU. 



In the experimental plats at the lower end of the station lands have 

 been grown 7, varieties of cotton, 2 varieties of papaias, 150 mango 

 seedlings, wood-oil nuts, Centrosema jjluineri^ Canavalia gladiata and 

 other leguminous green manuring crops, Manila hemp {Musa text ills) ^ 

 JI!I>iscus alxhnoschus^ and other fiber-producing plants, sugar cane, 

 about 40 varieties of bananas, including several hundred plants of the 

 Bluefields or Jamaica variety, G varieties of sorghum and Kafir corn, 

 Rosella {Illhlsrus salxlarijfa), pineapples, garden vegetables, and flow- 

 ers, cassava, and several other species of economic plants. 



