i886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



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owGjfepeuir 



TREECLIMBER'S TALKS. 



ABOUT MANGOES. 



One wide-awake young reader of these talks, 

 Letty N., of Green Co., Indiana, has lately 

 been helping to make some Mango pickles. 

 She wi-ites that they gather green Musk- 

 melons, the Citron variety preferred, and after 

 removing the seeds, 



STUFF THEM WITH CABB.4.GE, 



and pickle them. This is the way many other 

 people prepare the same ai-ticle, and as pickles 

 go, these Mangoes are much thought of by 

 most housekeepers. 



But Letty has been learning in her geography 

 at school of 



A TROPICAL FRUIT OF THE SAME NAME 



as her pickles. So when recently she wrote a 

 business letter to the publishers of Popular 

 Gardening for her mother she inclosed on 

 another sheet, in a very proper manner, and 

 written in a neat hand, a few notes as above, 

 with the request that they ask Mr. Tree- 

 climber to kindly tell about the Mango fruit 

 in his column. The note being sent to me, I 

 do this with real pleasure, as I am always glad 

 to treat all similar inquiries that are handed in 

 by young readers. 



As to the true Maugo, it is one of the useful 

 fruits of the Tropics. It is most commonly 

 found in Inilia, the supposed place of its home, 

 but it is also found over a large area of the 

 Tropics of both Hemispheres. 



AN ACQUAINTANCE OF inNE, 



who has traveled in Brazil, says the Mango 

 tree is quite common there, and the fruit is 

 much seen in the mai-kets, along with other 

 tropical fruits. 



In the engraving, which the publishers kindly 

 had prepared for this article, is seen the fruit 

 as a whole and a half — the flower, and a 

 terminal blooming branch, showing also the 

 magnificent large leaves of the tree. 



WHY THE PICKLE MANGO 

 should be so called is easily imagined, as we 

 learn that green real Mangoes are used as a 

 pickle to a considerable extent where they are 

 common. So if we cannot have the true 

 Mango pickle we emploj- a substitute. 



But the true Mango is far from Melon-like 

 as to the character of the fruit. It is more 



IN THE NATURE OF A PEACH, 

 being a stone fruit, as may be seen in the 

 engraving. Although much thought of as a 

 fruit to eat in the raw state , being luscious, 

 perfumed and sweet, with an agi'eeable ten- 

 dency to acidity, still it is less popular than 

 some of its neighbor fruits, because a taste 

 for it must be acquired — it is not altogether 

 pleasant at first. This perhaps has to do with 

 its being so rarely imported into Northern 

 lauds along with other tropical fruits. My 

 friend who met the fruit so abundantly in the 

 Brazilian markets said the peculiar flavor 

 reminded him of resin or turpentine, although 

 the natives did not seem to think so. 



The Mango is much prized as a shade tree in 

 the Tropics, its large leaves, closely arranged 

 over tile branches, forming an effective protec- 

 tion from the fierce sunshine of those regions. 

 It is occasionallj' met iu the hot-houses of 

 England and America, but must be considered 

 anything else than a common plant. I almost 

 forgot to mention that the Mango is 



A NEAR RELATIVE OP SEVERAL SHRUBS 

 or small trees well known in all parts of 

 America. I refer to the Purple Fringe or Smoke 

 Tree, and other species of the genus Rhus, I 



including the wild Sumachs, and the not pleas- 

 ant relative known as Poison Ivy. You will 

 want to know its botanical name also. This is 

 Mdnijifeni Indirti. 



In thus referring to one of the tropii'al fruits, 

 I could have no better chance to call attention 

 to another interesting matter, namely, the 



VARYING SEASON OF THE RIPENING OF FRUIT, 



and of the harvest over the earth's surface. It 

 is a fact that the full moon never fails to find 

 in this fair world a I'ipe field of gi'aiu, or trees 

 of ripening fruit to shme upon, Foi' some 

 time we have been in the midst of our harvest 

 here in America — the time of reapiug the 



THE TRUE MANGO. 



results of a season of labor — but it is not 

 harvest time now everywhere. 



Finding in a paper that I was reading a 

 statement of the countries that have their 

 harvest time in the different months, I give it 

 here in substance for my numerous readers ; 



IN JANUARY 



it is harvest time for Australia, New Zealand, 

 Chili and Argentine; February and March for 

 East India and Upper Egypt ; April for Lower 

 Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, Persia, Asia Minor, 

 India, Mexico and Cuba; May for Algeria, 

 Central Asia, China, Japan, Morocco, Texas 

 and Florida; June for Tm-key, Greece, Italy, 

 Spain, Portugal, South of France, California, 

 Oregon, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, 

 Georgia, Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Ken- 

 tucky, Kansas, Utah, Colorado and Missouri; 

 July for Roumania, Bulgaria, Austro-Hun- 

 gary. South of Russia, Germany, Switzerland, 

 Pi-ance, South of England, Nebraska, Minne- 

 sota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michi- 

 gan, Ohio, New York, New England and 

 Upper Canada; .4 i(;/i(,s( for Belgium, Holland, 

 Great Britain, Denmark, Poland, Lower Can- 

 afla, Columbia and Manitoba; Sejitt'mber and 

 October for Scotland, Sweden, Norway and 

 North of Russia; A^oivmber for Peru and South 

 Africa; December for Burmah. 



Timothy Treeclimbbr. 



Free Giving In Fruit Time. 



A store-keeper in New York, during the 

 recent hot weather, devised a truly amiable 

 mode of calling the attention of pa.ssers-by to 

 his wares. "Free Ice Water" greeted the 

 i sweltering crowd upon a sign over a faucet, to 

 which (Iriuking-vessels were attached. By an 

 apparatus that economizes the ice, he was able 

 to supply three hundred thirsty souls with cool 

 Croton evei'y hour, at a total cost for the 

 summer of seventy-five dollars. 



We have seen something similar (hut better, be- 

 cause (lisiiitei-cste.li in a country- town near Boston. 

 In the fiiiit si-asim, a few years ago. a laily who had 

 more fruit than she needed, placed a large basket 

 of Pears on the sidewalk iu front of her house.with 

 a label on which was printed — 



"Take One," 



The passing boys and girls accepted the invita- 

 tion, and verv rarely abused it by taking more than 

 one. She I'epeated the e.xperiment as long as the 

 superabundance lasted. This was better than let- 

 ting Pears and Peaches rot upon the ground— a 

 common practice iu good seasons.— Ciimpmiioa. 



Prospects Blighted In the Bud. 



Those who happen to possess a fine patch of 

 Melons in the vicinity of a town or any settled 

 place know very well what a general but un- 

 desirable interest the matter excites in the 

 minds of a certain class of people. All such 

 pei-sons will enjoy the following account of a 

 conversation between two men concerning 

 Melons, and taken from the Detroit Free Press: 



'* Erastus," said a citizen to a colored man on the 

 market one day last spring, "you live out on Pros- 

 pect Street, don't youy" 



"Yes, sah." 



"I've rented the flve-aere field this side of the 

 railroad tracks, and 1 think of planting it all to 

 Watermelons." 



" Yes. sah, Dat would be a boss spekulashun. sab, 

 Dat's de bes" groun' in de hull State fur Waler- 

 melyons. Bein" I lib clus by I'll watch de field fur 

 you." 



" While I did think of planting it to Melons, as I 

 said, I've concluded to use it all for potatoes, I 

 hope you are not disappointed, Erastus>" 



"Uh, no; no. sah, I'ze alius bin about ekally 

 divided 'tween 'taters an' melyons but I'ze feared 

 if dar'l be one dissyapointed pusson it must he you 

 sah, to let such a melyon-growing opputunite pass, " 



PET BIRDS. ANIMALS, ETC. 



Cleanliness is of first importance. 



For loss of voice give bu-ds Lettuce Seed, 



A draught tm the cage may cau.se a fatal cold. 



Overfeeding leads to stale food, and this is always 

 objectii>nable. 



Tie the green stuff for pigeons on nails a foot or 

 so up from the cote floor. 



For a mopish bird feed some finely chopped 

 onions, new ones preferred, twice a month, 



I find that by keeping a piece of rusty nail in the 

 drinking cup the birds are kept brighter and 

 healthier, Ai^nt Margaret, 



A Billy-goat is said to have been sent to thepoor- 

 hou.se, iu .\le.xandria, the other day, there being no- 

 body to claim him. Not but that he had taken care 

 of himself well enough, only the authorites and 

 Billy didn't seem to agree on the question of extent 

 of his privileges. 



Rabbits have adecidedrelishforCarrots.Turnips 

 and the like, which things can now he well provided. 

 But feed no more than will be eaten up clean. Or 

 it this should ha))pen, do not permit the leavings to 

 lay and rot, the odor from such is not only most 

 offensive, but it tends to breed disease. 



Water, it is not pleasant to think that animal 

 pets are at times made to suffer for want of water 

 through the neglect of their young masters. So do, 

 all of you, be very careful; one "forget" may cause 

 hours of cruel suffering, not borne without real 

 injury by the neglected pet, for the pang of thii-st, 

 as every one knows, is most aggravating to endure 

 by flesh and blood of any kind. How bad indeed 

 it is when iullicted on the helpless things in our 

 charge, all because we didn't think. Whatever 

 kinds may be your pets therefore, dogs, cats, guinea- 

 pigs, rabbits, doves, birds, squirrels, remember al- 

 ways in attending them, the well known lines from 

 "The Ancient Mariner," by Coleridge: "Water, 

 water everywhere." Let it be fresh, clean and 

 given as often as is necessary. 



Havens steal for the pm-e pleasure of biding 

 the stolen articles. An English gentleman who 

 owned one cut down a hollow plum-tree, the hoUow 

 of which was discovered to be a sort of "robber's 

 cave" for the use of the raven. Out of this hollow- 

 was taken a basketful of things— spoons, knives, 

 thimbles and pens, a pair of scissors, a comb, a 

 bundle of boot-laces, a meerschaum pipe, two vesta 

 boxes, etc., that had been stolen and hidden away 

 bj- the raven. Leaving the things on the ground 

 beside the fallen tree the man got hold of the 

 raven and laid him down beside these proofs of his 

 dishonesty, wondering what he woidd have to say 

 to it. Then the rascal assumed an aspect of per- 

 fect innocence and unconcern, as if to ask what 

 in the world he had to do with the things spread 

 upon the ground. Then the man hid himself. When 

 the raven found that he was alone he looked keenly 

 around, croaked twice a deep, guttiu-al croak, and 

 walked round and rovmd the disentombed articles, 

 as if admiring them ; next he took up a spoon in his 

 bill, and carrying it with quick, decided step to the 

 opposite side of the garden, hid it carefully away 

 under the broad leaves of a gigantic rhubarb plant, 

 and thus he did. and very quickly, with every article 

 of tile hoard. When he had finished the job he 

 uttered a favorite exclamation of his when he 

 imagined he had just done something exceedingly 

 clever and was perfectly satisfied with himself.— 

 Wliiteltull Review. 



