342 



The Journal of Heredity 



MANGOSTEEN TREE IN LOMBOK, DUTCH EAST INDIES 



The tree likes a large amount of water about its roots, but this water must not be stagnant. 

 Most of the failures in cultivation appear to be due to overlooking this requirement. 

 If it is properly attended to, the mangostccn will endure a considerable variety of soils 

 and climates, and experiments made during the last generation leave no doubt as to the 

 possibility of its acclimatization in various parts of the American tropics. Photograjih 

 by Fairchild. (Fig. 2.) 



formerly superintendent of the Botanic 

 Gardens of Singapore, the drojjs of 

 yellow gambcjge which sometimes form 

 inside the fruit are not, as has been 

 supposed, cau.sed by a disease, but are 

 the direct result of external bruises. 

 A heavy storm may sometimes so 

 knock the nearly mature fruits about 

 that the majority will be worthless. 

 Any very rough handling during the 

 plucking may bring about the same 

 result. 



A more or less careful sludx- of iIk' 

 question in Java, the Strait Settlements 

 and Ceylon has convinced the writer 

 that the acclimatization of the mango- 

 steen on the i.sland of Porto Rico, 

 and in many other parts of tropical 



America, is a possibility and that the 

 principal diflficultics of its culture have 

 probably arisen from an ignorance of the 

 soil conditions demanded by the plant. 

 In Java, so far as the writer is aware, 

 there arc scarcely any commercial 

 orchards of the mangostccn, every land 

 owner having a few trees in his yard; 

 in fact, the orchard method of cultiva- 

 ting fruits is, as a rule, little understood, 

 or ijays too poorly, to be followed in the 

 tropics. Scattered trees through the 

 native villa|3;es supi)ly all the demands 

 of llic market. 



EXPIiRIENCE AT SINGAPORE 



In Singapore there are some small 

 mangostccn orchards, that is, mango- 



