hire
orchards. It will not, however, stand frost. Droughts and floods have
little effect on it; it will grow in any soil, from a sand to a heavy
loam, amongst rocks, or on a gravelly or shaley land. Naturally, it does
best in good land, but there are hundreds of cases where trees are doing
well and bearing heavily on land that is by no means fruit land. The
mango is one of our handsomest fruit trees; the symmetry of its growth,
its large glossy leaves, the delicate colouring of its young growth,
which is of different shades in different varieties, the abundance of
fruit that it produces, varying in colour from dull-green to yellow,
red, or even purplish tints, all render it conspicuous. As well as being
one of our handsomest, it is also one of our most widely distributed
fruits, being found growing luxuriantly the whole length of our eastern
seaboard. A few trees are also to be met with inland in districts that
are free from frosts, so that it stands both the dry heat of the
interior and the humid heat of the coast. As a tropical fruit it
naturally reaches its greatest perfection under our most tropical
conditions, the trees there growing practically wild, requiring little
if any attention, making a rapid growth, coming into bearing early, and
producing heavy crops of fruit. Further south the growth is somewhat
slower, though the trees grow to a large size and bear heavily. It is
one of the easiest of trees to grow, as it is readily propagated by
means of seed. In many plantations thousands of young seedlings may
often be seen growing under the old trees, the seeds having taken root
without even having been planted. In most cases it is propagated from
seed, the stones of fruit showing especial merit being planted either in
a nursery, or, better, still, where the tree is to remain permanently,
as it usually does better when so planted than when grown in a nursery
and thence transplanted to its permanent location. The land should be
well worked prior to planting, and the young trees require to be kept
free from weeds and undergrowth till such time as they occupy the whole
of the ground, when they are able to look after themselves, and require
no further attention, at any rate in the warmer parts. It is not at all
uncommon to come across a mango-tree, in full bearing, in vigorous
health, that is growing wild, the result of a stone that has been thrown
away by someone who has eaten the fruit. The young tree has not only
been