Fairchild: The Mangosteen 



341 



rind as it changes on exposure to the 

 air from hght pink to deep brown. 



The texture of the mangosteen pulp 

 much resembles that of a well-ripened 

 plum, only it is so delicate that it 

 melts in your mouth like a bit of ice 

 cream. The flavor is quite indescrib- 

 ably delicious, and resembles nothing 

 you know of; and yet reminds you, 

 with a long after taste, of all sorts of 

 creams and ices. There is nothing to 

 mar the perfection of this fruit, unless 

 it be that the juice from the rind forms 

 an indelible stain on a white napkin. 

 Even the seeds are partly or wholly 

 lacking and when present, are so thin 

 and small that they are really no 

 trouble to get rid of. Where cheap and 

 abundant, as in Java, one eats these 

 fruits by the half peck and is never 

 tired of them ; they produce no feeling of 

 satiety, such as the banana and the 

 mango do, for there is little substance to 

 the delicate pulp. 



MAY BE DISSEMINATED 



The tree which bears this fruit was 

 once supposed to be able to live nowhere 

 outside of the Malay region. It has in 

 recent years, however, shown itself 

 capable of acclimatization in many 

 tropical regions remote from its original 

 home, and it has even fruited in the 

 unnatural conditions of an English 

 greenhouse. 



The mangosteen is no way related 

 to the mango as it is sometimes thought 

 to be from its name. Its foliage is of 

 an even richer dark green than that of 

 the orange, and its individual leaves 

 are not wholly unlike those of the rubber 

 plant, though, as a rule, smaller. The 

 regular, rounded crown is strikingly 

 characteristic and there are no more 

 beautiful fruit trees in the tropics than 

 the mangosteens. It has probably been 

 in cultivation for centuries among the 

 fruit-loving inhabitants of Java and 

 Malacca, although the absence of any 

 distinct varieties would seem to indicate 

 the contrary. Perhaps in its wild 

 state it was so nearly perfect that no 

 attempts to improve it have ever been 

 made. 



Such a fruit seems almost to have 

 been "born to blush unseen" for those 



parts of the world in which it grows are, 

 as a rule, populated by half civilized 

 races, who do not fully appreciate its 

 extraordinary qualities. Had it been 

 within easy reach of some great metrop- 

 olis of white people, there would have 

 been millions of dollars invested in its 

 culture and thousands of acres planted 

 with the beautiful trees. 



The most delicious fruit in the tropics 

 is surely worth the careful consideration 

 of any government which owns territory 

 suitable for its culture that is within 

 easy reach by steamer of a big home 

 market. The United States, since its 

 acquisition of Porto Rico and the Canal 

 Zone, is now in this position and the 

 possibilities of the establishment of 

 this fruit as an industry deserve to be 

 thoroughly investigated. Trials of an 

 extensive character should be carefully 

 worked out, large numbers of plants 

 ought to be started in different localities, 

 and the intelligent attention of experts 

 be given it. The establishment of the 

 mangosteen as a minor industry in our 

 tropical dependencies, should it prove 

 a possibility, would be of very important 

 commercial advantage to the inhabitants 

 and would put within reach of our 

 fruit-eating public, one of the greatest 

 delicacies in the world. 



SHIPPING QUALITIES GOOD 



Although it is a very delicate fruit, 

 its pulp is protected by an extremely 

 hard, tough rind which makes it a 

 tolerably good shipper. Quantities have 

 been sent from Singapore to Ceylon 

 and even to Shanghai and Japan, over 

 eleven days by boat. The head steward 

 of a Dutch vessel in the Malay Archi- 

 pelago once informed me that he had 

 carried mangosteen fruits for twenty-five 

 days without their decaying, but that 

 they must not be exposed to the sea 

 air; and he was of the firm belief that 

 they carried best in a dry, warm, close 

 place, but decayed rapidly if given too 

 much air or if put on ice. The decaying 

 mangosteen hardens its rind, which is a 

 distinct advantage, and makes continual 

 sortings for fear of contamination un- 

 necessary, as well as the immediate 

 detection of a decayed fruit a very easy 

 matter. According to Dr. I.N. Ridle.y, 



