This magnificent fruit, which is practically unknown outside of the
tropics, has become as hardy as a forest tree throughout our eastern
seaboard, wherever it is planted out of frost. It has been named, and
well named too, the apple of Queensland, as it stands as much neglect,
and can be grown with as little care and attention as, or even less,
than that given to the apple-trees in many of the Somerset or Devonshire
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 able to hold its own against all kinds of indigenous growths, but
has developed into a vigorous, healthy tree, thus showing that it is
perfectly at home, and that the soil and climate of Queensland suit it
to perfection. The fact that by far the greater portion of our
mango-trees have been grown from seed has resulted in the production of
innumerable varieties, many of which are of decidedly inferior quality,
as one never knows when planting the seed what the resultant fruit is
going to be like. One is more likely to get good fruit by planting the
seeds from selected fruit of the highest quality, but is by no means
certain to do so, as a number of seeds always revert to inferior types.
This has had a bad effect on our mango industry, and has been apt to
give the fruit as a class a bad name, so much so that we find it
difficult to get our Southern neighbours to take to it at all readily. I
can quite understand anyone, whose first experience of a mango is that
of an inferior fruit, full of fibre, and having a distinctly
disagreeable flavour, condemning the particular fruit, but because there
are inferior fruits one should not condemn the whole without knowing
what a really good mango is like.
[Illustration: Mango Trees, Port Douglas.]
We have many good mangoes in Queensland, but only a few that are really
first-class, and of the latter I have yet to meet the man or woman, who
is a fruit-eater, who does not appreciate their exquisite flavour, and
who does not consider them worthy to rank with any of the finest fruits.
By many a really fine mango is considered to be the king of fruits, and
I am not at all certain that they are not right, but, at the same time,
a really bad mango is indescribably bad.
The mango grows to a large size here, even when comparatively young. I
know trees over 50 feet in height, having a spread of the branches of
more than 60 feet, a main trunk nearly 3 feet in diameter, that are
under thirty years old, and that have borne from 1 to 2 tons of fruit
for a single crop. Hundreds of tons of fruit go to waste annually for
want of a market, or are consumed by farm animals, as the consumption of
the fruit is practically confined to this State, and the production is
greater than we can consume, despite the fact that mangoes are in season
from the end of September to March, and that they are a favourite fruit
with all who have acquired a liking for them. In addition to the
consumption of the fruit in its fresh state, a quantity is converted
into chutney, but this is so small that it has no appreciable effect on
the crop as a whole. The unripe fruit makes an excellent substitute for
apples, and is used stewed or for pies or tarts, and when sliced and
dried it may be stored and used in a similar manner to dried apples.
[Illustration: Mango Tree near Brisbane.]
In addition to its value as a fruit, the mango forms a handsome
ornamental tree, and one that provides a good shade for stock. It is
very free from disease, as with the exception of one or two species of
scale insects, which do not cause any very serious damage, it has few
serious pests. It is a fruit that is bound sooner or later to come into
more general favour, particularly when the qualities of the finer
varieties are better known. Until quite recently it was considered to be
one of the most difficult trees to propagate by means of grafting or
budding, hence its propagation has been practically confined to raising
it from seed, but now we have found out how to work it by means of
plate-budding, and are able to perpetuate our best sorts true to kind.
This is sure to lead to a general improvement of our existing varieties,
as old trees can be worked over by this means, or young trees of
approved kinds can be grown in a nursery and distributed.
The fruit is very wholesome, is much appreciated by all who have
acquired a taste for it, can be used fresh or dry, ripe or unripe, and
cans well. It is a great addition to our list of purely tropical fruits,
and finds a place in all orchards or gardens where it is capable of
being grown.