Among the first rank of fruits may be placed the mango (_Mangifera indica_), although the West Indian is far inferior to the East Indian representative. As a mere shade-tree the mango is beautiful; but the rich juicy, golden-meated fruit, slightly tinged with a flavor of turpentine in the poorer sorts, is a never-to-be-forgotten delight. The unripe fruit is good baked or made into a sauce, when it much resembles apples in taste. The slippery, juicy meat, and the strong fibres which attach this to the large flat stone, make it anything but an easy task for the novice to eat this fruit; he should have plenty of water and napkins within reach. When the tree does not bear well, root-pruning may be resorted to, although the natives usually hack the stem. I have planted seeds of the sour mango sent from Hawaii, and they have grown rapidly and promise well. The mango may be grafted as easily, it is said, as the cherry or apple. The icaco (_Chrysobalanus icaco_), or coco-plum, grows near the shore, and makes an excellent preserve; so does the manzanilla, a small crab-apple. In the interior, a tree very commonly used for fences is the jocote (_Spondias purpurea_?). This bears a plum-like fruit all over the smaller branches, which is either yellow or red when ripe, and very juicy. The stone closely resembles a medium-sized peanut. The juice when fermented makes a very popular drink (_Chicha_). To propagate the tree it is only necessary to plant a branch or cutting, which may be several inches in diameter, and it takes root and bears the next season. I am not sure of the species of spondias, but it is much smaller than the _S. dulcis_ of the Pacific Islands, and more like the hog-plum of Jamaica. Peaches grow in the highlands, but of the poorest quality, and the trees are in blossom and fruit at the same time. Figs grow very well; yet the Guatemaltecans import canned figs from New Orleans. The star-apple (_Chrysophyllum cainito_), so popular in the West Indies, the mangosteen (_Garcinia mangostana_), the most delicious fruit of the East Indies, the loquat (_Eriobotrya japonica_), the durian (_Durio zibethinus_), that foul-smelling but pleasant-tasting fruit, the bhêl (_Ægle marmelos_), the Marquesan plum (_Spondias dulcis_), and a host of others might grow here, but do not.