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sess in re the Indian Mango, and having served 32 years in India, 

 mostly in the Bombay Presidency, I think I may be able to make it 

 fairly complete. 



Since 1884 I have been straggling to introduce the two best kinds 

 of Indian mango into Jamaica, and have made three separate importa- 

 tions ; the 1st., doubtful ; 2nd., a complete failure; 3rd , eight healthy 

 plants planted out at Hodges, and doing well, our of twelve started 

 from India, two dying and two sickly on voyage to London, the two 

 sickly ones dying out here. The eight planted out at Hodges are 

 healthy and showing good growt hs. The two kinds I have imported 

 are the famous Mazagon mangoes. (Mazagon is a suburb of the city 

 of Bombay) the " Alphonse" also called by the natives of Bombay 



Afoos," and the Paeree, the latter has a raspberry flavour. You can 

 eat both with a spoon, and there is not the slightest taste of turpen- 

 tine, neither are they a bit stringy, the stones are small and thin. 



My reason for persevering, is, I believe there is money in it, as 

 a single fruit of Paeree or Alphonse used to fetch in Bombay, on 

 the spot, 6d. and sometimes Is. in 18 s 6, Europeans, Americans, 

 and Parsees eagerly buying them at those prices and people hundreds 

 of miles up county use to get them by rail for dinner parties and 

 balls, packed in ice ■ This was 15 years ag >, and as • verything has 

 got dearer in India, Bombay especiallv, since then, these celebrated 

 mangoes are not likely to have decreased in value. The mango tree 

 flourishes and thrives at Hodges, quite as well as in Mazagon, Bombay, 

 it is a mere question of cultivation, hence my belief that there is 

 money to be made in cultivating these two particular kinds of mango, 

 shipping them to England and America. 



Firminger says " the two principal localities in India where man- 

 goes of the finest description are said to be produced are Mazagon at 

 Bombay, and Malda." 



Firrninger's book bears date of 1864, it may have been so then, but 

 people in Bombay Presidency, and others hundreds of miles north, con- 

 sider the Mazagon Mango the finest, otherwise they would not trouble 

 to get them up by rail, in ice, all that distance." Still the Malda 

 Mango is an excellent one. but cultivation during the last J35 years, 

 the situation on the harbour, and the soil have combined to put the 

 Alphonse and Paeree first, such is the consensus i f opinion generally in 

 India. They don't thrive everywhere, that is, they don't produce the 

 same excellent fruit excepting in favoured localities and soils ; they 

 appreciate the sea air. 



Hodges has large Mango Groves: as they are situated on Negro 

 House Common and other spots where the slaves lived, there can 

 be little doubt they were planted by the slave3, indeed tradition says 

 so. Mango trees do so well at Hodges, I am confident the Alphonse 

 and Paeree will be a success. 



I firs imported the Alphonse (or Afooz) into Jamaica in 1886, 12 

 plants, only two survived, one is at Elim, St. Elizabeth, the other in 

 Hodges Yard ; it is doubtful whether the graft has not been knocked 

 off the latter. Neither tree has yet fruited, possibly owing to want of 

 proper cultivation as a grafted mango should fruit in five years. 2nd 

 importation, 6 Alphonse Plants in 1899, none survived. 

 8rd Importation, in 1901, 6 Alphonse and 6 Paeree plants sent from 



