96 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



mangos can be cultivated successfully in regions where there 

 is much precipitation during the flowering season. Some of the 

 seedling races will fruit under these conditions, but the choice 

 Indian varieties are more exacting in their climatic requirements. 



On this point G. N. Collins l states : "The fact that the tree 

 may thrive in a given locality and yet fail to produce fruit 

 should always be kept in mind. It may be considered as 

 proven that the mango will be prolific only in regions subjected 

 to a considerable dry season. On the moist north side of Porto 

 Rico the trees grow luxuriantly, but they are not nearly so 

 prolific nor is the fruit of such good quality as on the dry south 

 side, and in the very dry region about Yauco and at Cabo Rojo 

 the fruit seemed at its best, while its abundance was attested 

 by the fact that fine fruit was selling as low as 12 for a cent. 

 In Guatemala and Mexico the mango was found at its best only 

 in regions where severe dry seasons prevailed." 



Fawcett and Harris 2 report similar conditions in Jamaica. 

 They say : " Although the mango grows freely everywhere, it 

 is not a fruitful tree in every district ; in the southern plains 

 and the low, dry limestone hills it produces enormous crops 

 year after year, and very often two crops a year, the main crop 

 from May to August, and the second crop later in the year. . . . 

 In humid districts and along the northern coast the tree is 

 not at all fruitful, except in very dry years, and in the wet 

 districts like Castleton it rarely fruits." 



In the Botanic Garden at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there is a 

 magnificent avenue of mango trees planted by the emperor Dom 

 Joao VI more than a century ago. So far as known these trees 

 have never matured any fruits. They blossom, and occasionally 

 set fruits, but the latter invariably drop off before reaching 

 maturity. J. C. Willis, former director of the garden, attributes 

 this to the fact that they are planted on low wet ground. 



1 Bull. 28, U. S. Dept. Agr. 



2 Bull, of the Bot. Dept., vol. 8, 1901. 



