2IO THE FRUIT GARDEN 



Ko-TSURTJ. — Fruit small, oblong, pointed at the end, orange-yellow. It begins 

 to ripen early in August, but is not quite ripe till September. Inferior in quality, yet 

 is esteemed for earliness. 



KUMOSU-MARU. — Fruit medium size ; skin yellowish-orange, black cobweb-hke 

 mark appearing on the apex when quite ripe ; flesh rich in flavour. Ripens from the 

 middle to the end of November. 



Shimo-maru. — Fruit roundish-oblong, somewhat four-sided. It loses its astringent 

 property early in September and changes to a yellowish colour, ripening entirely after 

 exposure to frost and changing to reddish-orange. Flesh juicy, crisp, and of excellent 

 quality. 



TsuNO-MAGARl. — Fruit roundish, pointed, somewhat four-sided at the stem ; skin 

 light reddish yellow ; seedless. It retains its astringency even when quite ripe. 



TsuRU-NO-KO. — Fruit medium, oblong, pointed, bright red with black marks on the 

 apex when quite ripe ; flesh dull red, spotted with purplish black dots, sweet, rich in 

 flavour. Ripens in October. 



MANGO 



The mango {Mangifera indkd) is, par excellence, the fruit of the tropics. 

 Originally a native of India, it has become widely distributed wherever the 

 conditions are suitable. It has been termed the peach of the tropics, and 

 the descriptions given of first-rate mango fruits by those who have tasted them 

 make one's mouth water. All attempts to import ripe mangoes into England 

 have so far failed. To enjoy them we must therefore either go to the tropics or 

 master their cultivation at home. I have never heard of any serious effort to 

 grow mangoes in this country. It is true that fruits have been produced on 

 plants cultivated at Kew and in several other gardens, but they satisfied no 

 one. The tree grows to a large size — "trunks 30 to 40 feet high and 

 10 to 15 feet in circumference" — but it maybe kept much smaller than 

 this. The plant which fruits at Kew is only some 8 feet high. It appears to 

 require the same treatment as an apple or pear, except that the temperature 

 must be tropical, or at least sub-tropical. It likes manure, plenty of it, and 

 a loamy, deep soil. According to Woodrow, in whose book, " Gardening in 

 India," there is an excellent account of the mango, bones in any form are good 

 for the trees, and an annual dressing of salt, as much as 10 lbs. to each big tree, 

 is given in October or November to encourage the formation of flower-buds. 



There are many varieties, as many as of apples, according to Woodrow, 

 and they are as different in size, flavour, and value. The best are excel- 

 lent. They are all grafted, a seedling mango being of as doubtful merit as 

 a seedling apple. The best sorts recommended by Woodrow are Alphonse, 

 Pirie, Pakria, Punhala, Borsha, Mulgoba, Banchore, and Massarata. In addition 

 to these, he recommends and enumerates many other varieties. His description 

 of Alphonse is worth quoting : " Universally admitted to be the finest of all 

 mangoes. In flavour its fruit is indescribable ; it seems to be a subtle blending 

 of all agreeable flavours. In weight it averages 8 ounces ; its colour is green, 

 with a rich crimson glow on the exposed side ; its shape is oblong, thickened at 

 the upper end without any stigmatic point or beak. The variety is to be recog- 

 nised when not in fruit by the bright red midrib of its leaves. The tree is 

 stunted or irregular, rarely forming a shapely specimen." 



