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remaining so for three days. A duplicate lot of fruit in the cold 

 room developed a good flavor and remained in good physical con- 

 dition for nearly five weeks. The flavor and appearance of these 

 fruits were better than that of tree-ripened specimens. Full-sized 

 fruit which had not started to color on the tree turned a light yellow 

 and softened within 12 days after being placed in the warm room, 

 but they did not develop a pleasant flavor. Those of the same age 

 remained apparently unchanged for over two months in the cold 

 room, finally developing dark, softened spots in the skins, although 

 the flesh was still hard and brittle. Fruits which had become soft 

 on the tree lost none of their flavor after remaining in the cold room 

 for 15 days, although by this time dark spots were appearing on 

 the skins. 



Divine. — Forty of the 50 specimens of Divine, which were har- 

 vested when they first began to soften and left in common storage, 

 were still in edible condition six days later, although a number of 

 them had developed dark spots in the skins and were not attractive. 



Bennett. — Specimens of Bennett harvested when mellow on one 

 side and three-fourths colored, still had an excellent flavor and had 

 just started to discolor after seven days in the warm room, while 

 fruits taken from the tree when half colored and ready to soften 

 developed an excellent color and flavor and showed no decay after v 

 eight days, retaining their good flavor a few days longer. 



Blanco. — Two lots of this variety, which is the most plentiful and 

 most desirable of the wild Porto Kican kinds, were tested at the 

 high and the low temperatures. In the warm room colored fruits 

 which had not started to soften when taken from the tree were ripe 

 in four days. Two days later 40 per cent of the lot were blemished 

 by decay, and the flesh was soft and watery. In the cold room the 

 fruits became spotted with decay in seven days, before they were 

 ripe enough for eating. Tree-ripened fruit started to decay on the 

 fifth day in the cold room and were badly decayed in four days at 

 the higher temperature. 



The very poor keeping quality of this variety is typical of all the 

 common Porto Rican varieties. Although the fruits were carefully 

 selected and packed, dark spots appeared in the skins in a very few 

 days and rendered the fruits unsatisfactory for market. 



MANGOES AS ORNAMENTALS. 



The mango is doubtless the most beautiful and generally satis- 

 factory of trees for beautifying land spaces and for general orna- 

 mental planting in Porto Rico. Of large size, symmetrical shape, 

 and hardy, thrifty growth, they are dependable in all seasons, and 

 the new leaves with their changing shades, appearing at intervals 

 throughout the year, are more attractive and more desirable for 



