24 

 PROTECTION AGAINST FRUIT FLIES. 



A fruit fly (Anastrepha fraterculus) 1 is very common in Porto Rico 

 and very injurious to fruits of some varieties of both wild and im- 

 ported mangoes. As it breeds in other wild fruits, some of which 

 bear throughout the year, it would be very difficult to eradicate or 

 control. As the fly seldom attacks the fruit before it commences to 

 ripen, injury can be easily and cheaply prevented by bagging the 

 fruit with paper just after it has attained full size but before it has 

 started to soften. The cheapest quality of bags may be used, several 

 hundred of which can be placed by one person in a day, A small 

 hole should be made in the bottom of the bag to allow water entering 

 on the fruit stem to drain out, as this will otherwise collect and 

 burst the bag. While the paper covering hinders to some extent the 

 development of the red blush on varieties normally blushed, it pro- 

 tects the bloom, prevents sunburn, and gives a more even and deli- 

 cate blush, all of which adds to the attractiveness of the fruit. The 

 imported varieties most commonly attacked by the fruit fly are Cam- 

 bodiana, Totafari, and Sandersha, although in some years the injury 

 is not serious enough to necessitate protection. 



Except for thrips, which are very detrimental to young pot and 

 nursery trees, the fruit fly is the only insect pest of the mango which 

 has thus far been of importance in Porto Rico. 



HARVESTING AND PACKING. 



As the mango is edible during only a rather short period and is 

 easily bruised, it is important that no fruit should be packed for 

 shipment or stored with the expectation of its remaining long in good 

 condition if it has been bruised or injured in any way. If properly 

 taken from the tree, placed in a crate cushioned with some suitable 

 material, such as excelsior, and not allowed to be bruised by the 

 weight of other fruit the mango may be expected to remain sound 

 for a reasonably long period. 



REMOVING THE FRUIT FROM THE TREE. 



In harvesting fruit which is not fully ripe, a stem slightly longer 

 than the fruit stalk should be left, as the high pressure generated in 

 the fruit while on the tree will force a spray of juice through the 

 large cells of the fruit stalk the instant it is severed, a jet of juice 

 sometimes being thrown several feet from the fruit and continuing 

 to flow for a few seconds. After curing a few minutes the large cells 

 of the fruit stalk are emptied and form open passages into the base 

 of the fruit, where decay soon starts. 



1 Porto Rico Sta. Rpt 1912, p. 3Q. 



