striking examples of this in both growth and fruit production are 

 Bennett, Paheri, Sandersha, and Cambodiana. While newly placed 

 buds and grafts and small trees just transplanted should be protected 

 from strong drying winds, the orchard site should be well exposed 

 to the prevailing winds and morning sun. 



BLOSSOMING. 



Although in some parts of Porto Rico climatic conditions are not 

 favorable to the setting of a crop of fruit, the mango is well adapted 

 for fruit production, as it blossoms at intervals throughout the 

 spring and thereby improves its chances of meeting suitable weather 

 for pollination. From observations already made, it appears that 

 the imported kinds have a longer blossoming season than the common 

 sorts, as some of them bloom almost continuously for ten or more 

 weeks when conditions do not permit the setting of a crop before 

 the end of that time. To this class belong Sandersha, Totafari, and 

 Amini, a single tree of the first having blossomed as early as De- 

 cember 10 and as late as May 10 the following spring, with the pro- 

 duction of two heavy crops and a number of light crops of blossoms 

 during the intervening time. Cambodiana, Bennett, Bulbulchasm, 

 Sufaida, and others are varieties with long blossoming seasons. 



In the southern and western portions of the island the mango- 

 ripening season is usually much longer than in other sections, as the 

 drought which occurs during the late winter favors the fertilization 

 of early and late blossoms. Under normal conditions only a very 

 small percentage of the early blossoms produce fruit, while good 

 crops have resulted from extremely late blossoms. As few varieties 

 have been cultivated in Porto Rico over a long enough period to 

 determine blossoming habits, close attention should be given the 

 untested kinds and a careful selection made based on these habits 

 before an extensive planting is made. 



Where mango trees grow vigorously, as in nearly all parts of 

 Porto Rico, they are inclined to bear no crop or very small ones for 

 a season or more after they are of sufficient size and age to produce 

 heavily. Varieties or individual trees which do not bear when 

 sufficiently mature may be induced to blossom by any of a number 

 of methods. Girdling, branch pruning, and root pruning are com- 

 mon practices, but they should be used with caution and moderation, 

 as a tree may easily be so severely injured as to prevent its bearing 

 for one or more seasons. Pruning back the ends of the branches to 

 induce blossoming has been practiced with good results at the station. 

 In the operation, from a few inches to a foot of the end of the 

 branch was removed, depending upon the stage of maturity of the 



