December, 1912.] 



481 



CEYLON MANGOES. 



The Tropical Agriculturist Supplement for November describes on 

 page 407 a mango with only the trace of a seed as occurring in Hawaii. 



It may be mentioned that a similar mango has been long known in 

 Ceylon, and is called in the vernacular puhu-amba. 



The tree is not common, no doubt owing to difficulty of propagation, 

 as budding and grafting is unknown among the Sinhalese, and such trees 

 as exist are practically a monopoly of the families that have given us our 

 Maha Mudaliyars, On this account probably the mango has come to be 

 known as the "Maha Mudaliyar " mango. 



The Ceylon fruit, unlike the Hawaiian one, is comparatively small but 

 is deliciously sweet. It is almost unknown in the market. 



In the Pasdum Korale is a famous old tree which is the property of 

 the Perera family whose head was the Maha Mudaliyar before the present 

 chieftain's father. No land goes with the tree, only the produce being 

 claimed. 



The present Maha Mudaliyar, Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, owns 

 more than one tree : and grafted trees are also to be found on the proper- 

 ties of the late Dr. William Dias Bandaranayake who, after his retire- 

 ment from the medical service, became an enthusiastic agriculturist. 



Through the kindness of the owners of these trees the Secretary of 

 the Ceylon Agricultural Society has arranged to raise plants by approach- 

 grafting for the benefit of members. 



There are some excellent mangoes in Ceylon, but they are seldom or 

 never found in the market. The best of these are special strains of the 

 "Jaffna," " Rupee " and " Parrot " mango. The mangoes offered for sale 

 rarely include the proper "jat " of these varieties. 



Again, take the mango as found in the Jaffna Peninsula. The climate 

 and soil have produced about a dozen varieties quite different from any- 

 thing found in the wetter parts of the Island. Curiously enough, what is 

 called the "Jaffna" mango in Colombo is known as the " Colombo" mango 

 in Jaffna ; but the " Colombo " mango of Jaffna is much superior in flavour 

 to the " Jaffna" mango of Colombo. Another excellent Northern variety 

 — the commonest — is the "Chempadi." 



Grafting is to some extent practised in Jaffna and grafted plants of 

 tte best mangoes of the North can be secured by arrangement, but they 

 cost more than plants imported from India where grafting is very exten- 

 sively practised. 



Strange to say, there has been no anxiety on the part of members of 

 the Society to secure grafted plants of mangoes from the North, though 

 a supply was specially secured by the Secretary. They either dislike 

 paying Rs. 3 for a Ceylon plant when they can get an Indian plant for 

 Rs. l'SO. or, like many people, prefer an imported article to a locally 

 produced one— irrespective of their real merits. 



