THE LOQUAT AND ITS RELATIVES 253 



Botanical Gardens at Saharanpur, observes that certain 

 localities have been much more favorable than others, and that 

 the best results are obtained where the soil is sandy loam and 

 where abundant water is supplied: and reports that "In the 

 plains the loquat is in season in April, but in the colder climate 

 of the hills it fruits in the autumn." Most of the trees in 

 India are seedlings, but several grafted varieties have been 

 distributed from Saharanpur. 



Throughout a large part of the Mediterranean region the 

 loquat is highly successful ; it is said, in fact, to have become 

 naturalized in several places. In southern France it is a common 

 tree, but there are no large commercial plantations. In Italy 

 and Sicily it is abundant. David Fairchild states it to be one of 

 the principal fruits of the island of Malta, but the trees are 

 seedlings and practically none of them worth propagating. L. 

 Trabut says of the loquat in Algeria: "The Horticultural 

 Society, the Botanical Service, and a certain number of amateurs 

 have collaborated in producing superior varieties which are 

 now propagated by grafting. The Botanical Service has 

 introduced the best varieties obtainable in Japan, and public 

 opinion is undergoing a change regarding this fruit. For- 

 merly it was not esteemed." The tree is common in the gardens 

 of Algiers, and during early spring the fruit is abundant in 

 the markets. 



Regarding its behavior in England, the Gardener's Chronicle 

 (May 3, 1913), referring to it under an alternative name, says : 

 "The Japanese Medlar is an old garden favorite, grown in this 

 country for its handsome evergreen foliage, and in warmer 

 regions for the sake of its edible fruits. Messrs. Sander have 

 obtained from some source a variegated sport of it, which is 

 likely to become a popular garden plant, the variegation being 

 particularly pleasing, some of the leaves being more milk- 

 white than green. It is not generally known that the Japanese 

 Medlar is quite happy when grown under the shelter of a wall 



