Man and Nature 417 



ley's ''Cyclopedia of Horticulture" as follows: "In size and 

 character of fruit the mango is extremely variable ; there are 

 varieties which are scarcely larger than a plum and there 

 are others whose fruits weigh as much as four or five pounds. 

 The shape varies from round to long and slender, some of the 

 commonest types being reniform, obliquely heart-shaped, oval 

 or elliptical. The skin is smooth, somewhat thicker than that 

 of a peach, commonly yellow or greenish-yellow in color, but 

 in some varieties bright yellow overspread with scarlet "or 

 crimson, and of extremely beautiful appearance. Other types 

 are uniformly pale lemon-yellow. The aroma is often de- 



A SIX-YEAR OLD DATE PLANTATION IN CALIFORNIA 

 Courtesy of the U. 8. Bureau of Plant Industry. 



licious, spicy and tempting, and this added to the brilliant 

 color, makes some of the finer varieties of the mango among 

 the most attractive of all fruits." 10 



The date palm, that wonderful tree of the oasis in the 

 scorching deserts of Arabia and Africa, is now domesticated 

 in Arizona and Southern California and has taken kindly to 

 its new home. In the countries of the East the date is a sta- 

 ple food for the dwellers in the desert, and not a luxury as 

 it is with us. With some trees bearing more than 100 pounds 

 of dates an average profit of $100 to $150 per acre is a fair 

 estimate. 



"Bailey, "Cyclopedia of Horticulture," p. 1986. By permission of 

 the Macmillan Company, 



