230 



[September, 1908. 



MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTS. 



SELECT EDIBLE GARCINIA FRUITS. 

 {Illustrated. ) 



By H. F. Macmillan. 



Mangosteen, 



The Mangosteen (Garcinia Mangos' 

 tana) is far-famed as one of the most 

 delicious fruits of the tropics. , The tree 

 which bears it has been introduced origi- 

 nally from Malaya, probably by the 

 Dutch, and has now become familiar 

 to the Sinhalese under the name of 

 "mangus," andjto the Ceylon Tamils as 

 "mangus-kai." The distinction of being 

 one of the three finest fruits in the world 

 has been claimed for the Mangosteen, 

 the other two rivals being the Pineapple 

 and the Cherimoyer. The mangosteen is 

 held in the highest estimation, and is 

 a fruit which travellers to the East 

 especially wish to sample. Don declared 

 it to be " the most delicious of all fruits, 

 partaking of the strawberry and the 

 grape. Being a fruit which does not 

 keep well, it is difficult to transport it in 

 good condition over long journeys, so 

 that its export, at least on commercial 

 lines, is impracticable, and dwellers in 

 temperate countries cannot hope to enjoy 

 its peculiar luciousness. To taste the 

 fruit to perfection it must be eaten soon 

 after it is gathered from the tree. In 

 appearance the mangosteen is uncom- 

 monly dainty and elegant. In size it 

 resembles an apple, but it is almost per- 

 fectly round. In striking contrast with 

 the reddish purple rind, the delicious 

 pulp which surrounds and adheres to 

 the seeds is snowy white. The mangos- 

 teen as a fruit may be said to have only 

 one fault— there is not enough of it. 

 With high cultivation, however, and 

 careful selection of the best varieties, it 

 should be possible to reduce the dense 

 thick rind and increase the proportion of 

 pulp. The fruit is in season from June 

 to July at the lower elevations or near 

 sea-level, and from July to August at 

 1,000 to 1,600 feet elevation. It is usually 

 hawked about at 75 cents to Rs. 1 

 (Is. to Is. 4d.) per dozen, and is 

 always charged for at the hotels as an 

 extra. 



The mangosteen tree is unfortunately 

 of very slow growth, and does not come 

 into bearing till about nine years old. It 

 will only thrive in a hot and moist cli- 

 mate, such as obtains to perfection in 



the Kalutara district. It will not succeed 

 on the plains of India, but is found to 

 do fairly well in the moister districts of 

 Southern India, up to about 2,500 feet ele- 

 vation. Propagation is usually effected 

 by sowing the seed, the germination of 

 which is very slow and precarious. An 

 average of more than two good seeds per 

 fruit cannot be reckoned upon. The 

 gootee method of propagation, as illus- 

 trated in this magazine for May, is prefer- 

 able to sowing seed ; the former ensures 

 an earlier crop, and enables the best 

 variety being selected and perpepuated. 



Cochin Goraka. 

 Cochin-goraka (Garcinia Xanthochy- 

 mus). This is a small tree which combines 

 beauty with utility, and deserves to be 

 more widely known and cultivated in 

 the tropics. It is of a compact bushy 

 habit, conical and symmetrical in shape, 

 a nd grows to a height of 25 to 30 feet. A 

 distinguishing characteristic of it is 

 its large leathery, glossy leaves, which 

 vary from 10 to 16 inches in length and 

 2i to 3 inches in width. These qualities 

 and the cone-shaped appearance of the 

 tree render it an ornamental object even 

 in the small state. It is indigenous to 

 the Malay Peninsula, Eastern Bengal, 

 and South India, and has been intro- 

 duced into Ceylon probably about the 

 end of the Eighteenth Century by the 

 Dutch. The goraka fruit is of a luring 

 appearance. In shape it resembles a 

 medium-sized apple ; it has a very smooth 

 and even skin, with a characteristic 

 slightly pointed top. The shell (peri- 

 carp) which is hard and woody in the 

 mangosteen, is soft and juicy in the 

 Cochin-goraka, and forms the edible 

 pulp. The latter is orange-yellow in 

 colour, very acid, but not unpalatable, 

 It is refreshing on a hot day, and is liked 

 by many people for dessert. Don in his 

 encyclopaedia of plants considered this 

 fruit "not inferior to many apples," 

 whilst Firminger compared it in some 

 respects to an apricot. Cameron says "it 

 is occasionally used in India in place of 

 tamarinds." The soft pulp consists of 

 l ather distinct two layers, the inner of 

 which surrounding the seeds is the less 

 acid. In the centre are 4 to 6 large 

 oblong flat seeds. 



The tree is easily propagated from 

 these seeds, which take five to six weeks 

 to germinate. It thrives in any moder- 

 ately good soil, but succeeds best in rich 

 well-drained soil, with a sheltered situ- 

 ation. A rainfall of at least 55 or 60 

 inches, equally distributed, is essential. 



