The Introduction of the Mango 



3 2 5 



easily cut with a knife. In the best 

 varieties the fiber is almost entirely 

 wanting and the entire fruit consists of 

 a mass of juicy, usually orange-colored 

 pulp. 



The Anacardiacese, to which the 

 mango belongs, include also the tur- 

 pentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus) , the 

 original source of turpentine, and it 

 seems not at all unlikely that the char- 

 acteristic odor of the mango is in real- 

 ity due to the presence of turpentine 

 or some closely allied substance. Ex- 

 udations of a transparent resinous sub- 

 stance similar to that of the turpentine 

 tree are frequently to be noticed in the 

 mango. 



The mango {Mangifera indica) is said 

 by De Candolle to be native in South 

 Asia or the Malay Archipelago, and re- 

 cent authors report it as wild in the 

 forests of Ceylon and the regions at the 

 base of the Himalayas, especially to- 

 ward the east, at an altitude of from 

 1,000 to 2,000 feet. Its culture is very 

 ancient, as shown by references in San- 

 skrit mythology and ancient Hindu folk- 

 lore. 



For so old and so useful a plant, its 

 distribution was comparatively limited 

 until historic times. To the west it had 

 not passed the Red Sea, being unknown 

 in Egypt, while to the east it had ap- 

 parently not reached the islands of the 

 Pacific. The species is not well adapted 

 for distribution by natural agencies, and 

 man has probably been chiefly responsi- 

 ble for its dissemination. 



In the New World it seems to have 

 been first introduced into Brazil, al- 

 though it is not known at what date. 



The mango is now a common fruit 

 throughout the Tropics of the world. 

 It has been developed to the highest 

 state of perfection in its home in India, 

 where the number of well-marked va- 

 rieties is enormous. Mr Maries, of 

 Durbhungah, has collected over 500 

 varieties, 100 of which he characterizes 

 as good. Thirty-four of these varieties 



he describes in Watt's Dictionary of 

 Economic Products of India. Ceylon 

 is also famous for its mangoes. Both 

 the east and the west coasts of Africa 

 have several good varieties. In Aus- 

 tralia the culture is fast increasing, and 

 it bids fair to become one of the most 

 popular fruits. One very fine variety 

 is said to exist in the island of St Helena. 

 The mango is the most highly prized 

 fruit of Guam, where there is a fine 

 seedling variety. Its cultivation in that 

 island is, however, not a success, owing 

 probably to the thin soil, which affords 

 such a shallow footing that the hurri- 

 canes uproot the trees in all exposed 

 localities. In the Hawaiian Islands 

 Mr William C. Stubbs * reports: ' ' The 

 mango is receiving perhaps more atten- 

 tion just now than any other fruit. As 

 many as twelve or fifteen varieties have 

 already been introduced. It is a de- 

 licious fruit, and decidedly ornamental 

 in any ground." In the New World, 

 Trinidad and Jamaica have the largest 

 collections, although the drier regions 

 of Central America and Mexico may be 

 found to offer better seedling varieties. 



In spite of the many discouraging 

 frosts that have visited Florida, planters 

 of that state are actively engaged in 

 propagating good varieties by budding, 

 grafting, and inarching, and, if visited 

 with no further misfortune, will in a 

 few years produce considerable quan- 

 tities of high-grade fruit. 



The mango will grow in a variety of 

 conditions, and it seems to have little 

 preference as to soil, the most important 

 requirement being a deep soil that is 

 well drained. As to climate, it is much 

 more exacting, and the fact that the 

 tree may thrive well in a given locality 

 and yet fail to produce fruit should be 

 kept always in mind. The mango will 

 be prolific only in regions subjected to a 



* Bull No. 95, Office of Experiment Stations, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Report on 

 the Agricultural Resources and Capabilities of 

 Hawaii, p. 40. 



