May, 1912.] 



413 



Edible Products 



the commercial varieties mentioned can 

 be relied upon to give at least partial 

 crops every year, If half the number 

 of existing trees were to bear fruit 

 every year, the local markets would be 

 glutted and people would be compelled 

 to find new methods of exporting 

 surplus fruit to foreign countries. 



The habit of mangoes in producing 

 fruit varies with soil and climate. The 

 Peterpasand of Madras is the same as 

 the Pairi of Bombay, or the Goabunder 

 of Hyderabad, or the Badami of Chittoor. 

 Being a very rapid grower, this tree is 

 extensively cultivated in all those places, 

 and its fruit comes very early to the 

 market, but it is a shy bearer here. 



The well-known Alphonso of Bombay, 

 known in Madras as Kaderpasand, and 

 its type the Russapuri of Bangalore is 

 also a very shy bearer. The famous 

 local Mulgoba also is a very shy bearer, 

 but it is said to bear better at Chittoor 

 and Bangalore. The commercial varieties 

 mentioned above, in addition to other 

 virtues, seem to bear well in poor soils 

 also. 



Some of the best keeping varieties of 

 mango of these parts seem to have origin- 

 ated in Arcot and Salem districts. 

 Some of them keep for two months after 

 removal from the trees- The Benishan 

 is a speciality to Bunganpally, and is 

 probably the best mango in the Deccan. 



Late-Bearing. 

 The majority of mango trees mature 

 their fruit in Hyderabad in May-June. 

 Markets then get glutted and prices 

 suddenly fall. In many places the 

 mango season lasts less than three 

 months. By careful attention to late- 

 bearing and long-keeping varieties the 

 season can be extended from three to 

 five months as is the case in Arcot and 

 Salem districts. The fertile tract of 

 country near Waltair in the Vizaga- 

 patam district is rapidly becoming a 

 large centre of mango cultivation. The 

 garden owners there understand their 

 business well. Some of their select 

 varieties are Rajmanu, Nalla Kayala 

 Yandrus, Koram Gova*, Swantam and 



Suverna Rekha, etc. Some of these are 

 probably local names given to foreign 

 plants. Similarly, by searching in other 

 parts of India, suitable commercial 

 varieties can be found. The time of 

 appearance of mango blossom and fruit 

 varies considerably in different parts 

 of India. This has to be definitely 

 ascertained and kept in mind by fruit 

 growers for their own advantage. Here 

 in Hyderabad the mango trees com- 

 mence to blossom by the loth December. 

 The majority of trees are in full blossom 

 by the 15th of February. 



The greatest enemies to mango blos- 

 som apppar to be the innumerable small 

 insects known as Aphides, which cause 

 what is popularly known as " Mango 

 Honey," People think that this is caused 

 by heavy dew. These Aphides weaken 

 the tree at the time of blossom by suck- 

 ing its sap and excrete a sort of thick 

 viscid substance which coats the flowers 

 and other parts of the tree like varnish, 

 making not only further fertilisation 

 impossible, but scorching much of the 

 previously fertilised fruit. A heavy 

 rain is supposed to cleanse the trees, and 

 in the absence of it syringing with pure 

 water or soap suds and one per cent, of 

 kerosene oil seems to destroy them. 

 Spraying the trees once or twice with a 

 weak solution of Bordeaux Mixture or 

 Iron Sulphate previous to appearance of 

 the blossom will be found to prove a 

 good precaution against Aphides or 

 other pests which infest these trees. 



In America spraying has become an 

 essential part of gardening, but here it 

 is unknown to cultivators. Its useful- 

 ness, importance and advantages can 

 well be illustrated in the case of the 

 mango tree. 



Climate. — People in all parts of India 

 are more or less partial in praising the 

 excellence of mango fruit produced in 

 their own locality. There is some truth 

 in the belief among some of the best 

 connoisseurs of mangoes in Hyderabad, 

 that even select varieties of grafted 

 mango plants imported from distant 

 places and cultivated here produce better 

 flavoured fruit than the original. 



