The average fruit is so poor that most foreigners never give any
attention to the santol, and the fruit is a drug even in the native
markets and enormous quantities annually rot on the ground. Few are
aware that there are mutations among the santol trees the fruit of
which in point of flavor vies with the best fruits in the Tropics, and
that in this respect it is superior even to its celebrated relative,
the lanzon (Lansium domesticum), the greatest defects being the large
seeds and the adherence of the flesh to the seeds. If the seed in these
superior santols were abortive in the same proportion as those in
the mangosteen, the now despised santol, with its translucent pulp,
separable from the pericarp as that of the mangosteen, subacid,
juicy and of a vinous, excellent flavor, would rapidly become one
of the most popular fruits in the Tropics. Its thick, tough "rind"
should make the santol at least equal to the mangosteen as a shipper.
What is probably the first horticultural, asexually propagated
variety of the santol is now being established at the Lamao experiment
station from buds obtained by Mr. F. Galang, assistant agricultural
inspector, from a tree in Pampanga, the fruit of which is so highly
prized locally that the fruit never retails below the relatively high
price of 2 centavos apiece even when other santols are so plentiful
as to be literally unsalable.
Mr. B. Malvar, assistant agricultural inspector, has obtained
in Batangas budwood of a sweet-fruited camia which is also being
propagated. This is the first mutation of this kind coming to the
attention of the writer.
The collection of Philippine citrus fruits of economic value or
of botanical interest has been in progress since in 1911, but
no systematized selection work in the mandarin district has been
attempted until December, 1914, when Mr. B. Malvar was detailed
to visit the citrus region in Batangas. Mr. Malvar returned with
sample fruits of some twenty odd trees, a number of which were found
to be of very good quality. These are being propagated for future
distribution. Mr. Malvar also found another "Tizon" (Citrus nobilis
var. papillaris) of excellent flavor and quality which has been added
to the citrus collection at Lamao.
Petioled Vs. Nonpetioled Budwood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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