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and astringent and quite uneatable unless rolled about and pressed 

 by the fingers when it becomes quite soft and the astringent taste 

 disappears entirely. The tree is very common in villages and waste 

 places, the seeds being often dispersed by birds. It will grow in 

 almost any soil sufficiently dry, and grows fairly fast, fruiting in 

 four or five years. It prefers full sun or at the most light shade. 

 The tree is always raised from seed. The seeds are said to yield an 

 oil which might be of value. It flowers in January to March. 



FL Rukam. — Is a verv similar tree with larger and broader 

 leaves, as much as 6 inches long and three wide more often occur- 

 ring in woods and shaded places. It fruits rather earlier than 

 FL cataphracta, but as a rule not so heavily. The fruit is gener- 

 ally considered inferior. It flowers October to January, but often 

 at other times, fruits February to July. 



FL inermis, Roxb. — Is a small tree with very much of the habit 

 of the other two but with the fruit is very different being of a 

 bright cherry red and very acid, excellent when cooked for pies, etc. 



POI>YGALE/E. 



The only eatable fruit of this order is that of Xanthophyllum 

 obsciirum, a large often huge tree with deep shining green leaves 

 and whit? flowers. The fruit is as large as a cricket ball or larger, 

 with a thick rind enclosing several seeds wrapped in a sweet white 

 pulp, which however, is rather scanty. It is eaten by natives and 

 though somewhat refreshing when met with in the woods, is not 

 worth cultivating for its fruit as there is so little flesh on the seed. 



It occurs widely all over the Peninsula and is known to the 

 Malays as Buah Kapas and also Lemak Berok, the latter name 

 however, is applied to other and uneatable species of the genus. 



GUTT1FER/E. 



The best known fruit of this order is probably the best known 

 fruit of the East, vis., the Mangosteen, Garcinia mangosta na . A 

 tree usually small about 12 to 15 feet tall, with a large head of 

 deep green leathery leaves. I have, however, seen trees of a quite 

 different form being about 40 feet tall and much more drawn up. 

 Such trees, however, are not to be recommended. The tree is 

 raised from seed and is of fairly rapid growth. 



Mangosteen trees are not often pruned or subjected to any 

 attempts at improvement in cultivation. Pruning is, however, 

 beneficial especially when the trees have got old and are ceasing to ^ 

 bear. In any case suckers growing erect through the tree should 

 be removed and proper pruning might be verv beneficial to almost 

 all trees. 



The Mangosteen flowers in March and May or earlier, and in 

 Singapore fruits can be obtained from May to December, the 

 heaviest crop being produced from about August to September. 

 Different trees fruit at different times according to their ages. A 

 few as early in the year as January. The soil should be good if 

 possible, but the tree seems to thrive in almost any place provided 

 it is nut excessively wet. It is tar less particular in this than the 



