591 
This year being an excellent fruiting year, I have been 
studying mangos a good deal, and I am astonished to find such 
a large number of excellent varieties that are undoubtedly 
seedlings even amongst our garden kinds. 
With regard to your inquiry about the number of stamens 
in a flower. I have not made a particular study of this 
point, but so far as my memory goes only one fertile stamen 
was observed to one flower. Climatic conditions at the time 
of flowering very largely Influence pollinating. Some years a 
crop is completely destroyed by rain or cloudy weather at the 
time of flowering. This year I experimented with bagging the 
flowers In order to prevent cross fertilization; although some 
fruits set, yet they dropped off very soon. A light, dry, and 
airy time is needed at time of flowering to ensure successful 
pollinating, and no irrigation should be done at that time. 
Of the two varieties you mention I only know one, Mulgoa, 
this fruit is all right. I, have never heard of a case where 
stamlnate flowers only are produced, although the inflorescen- 
ce is of course polygamous. 
There is one other point that I should like to bring to 
your notice, and that is our so called country Plums. These 
are supposed to be varieties of Prunus domestica, var. lnsiti- 
tia. (Syn. P. Bokhariensls) . These are supposed to have orig- 
inally come from Bokhara. They are a distinct class of fruit, 
many are excellent, but 1 can find no record of them being 
grown In any other country than India. You may probably have 
come across them elsewhere in your extensive travels, and must 
have noticed them when you were In India. I hope to make a 
detailed study of them next year." 
(Issued September 21, 1912.) 
