122 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



commonly has more perfect than staminate flowers. Most of 

 the Indian varieties have fewer perfect flowers than the seedling 

 races. 



The experiments conducted in Florida indicate that the scanty 

 fruiting of many varieties is not due to any morphological defect 

 in the pollen or to defects in the mechanism of pollination. 

 While such factors as lack of pollinating insects and loss of 

 pollen through rains or moist weather probably lessen the 

 production of fruit in some seasons, from a practical standpoint 

 the question of pollination seems relatively unimportant. 

 The problem is more probably a physiological one, connected 

 with nutritional conditions as influenced by changes in soil- 

 moisture and food-supply, principally the former. Suggestions 

 are given under the heading culture for encouraging the 

 formation of fruit-buds on soils or under climatic conditions 

 which normally tend to produce vegetative growth to the 

 detriment of reproduction. 



THE CROP 



In the tropics seedling mangos usually come into bearing 

 four to six years from the time of planting. More time than 

 this may be required in some instances. Certain races are 

 more precocious than others. In Florida, growth is less rapid 

 than in the tropics and fruiting is delayed in consequence. 



Budded trees should fruit at an earlier age than seedlings. 

 As regards a given variety or race, they usually do so; but 

 grafted or budded trees of some varieties do not fruit so early as 

 seedlings of certain races. In Florida, dwarf kinds such as 

 D'Or and Julie sometimes fruit the second year after planting. 

 Haden has produced good crops four years from planting. 

 Mulgoba should fruit at four to six years of age. Malda and 

 several other sorts have been grown in Florida ten years or 

 more without having fruited as yet. At Saharanpur, India, 



