RARE FRUIT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

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1 WHITMAN AND BIEBEL: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 393 has been good in Orlando and Sanford markets with demand far exceeding the supply. Retail prices have been approximately those of straw berries. One chain store operator expressed a desire for 200,000 pints per season if available. Summary Blackberry trials at Sanford, started by Dr. J. W. Wilson in 1956 in cooperation with Prof. Ralph Sharpe and Dr. J. S. Shoemaker, Gaines ville, were instrumental in the release of seedling No. 77, under the name of Flordagrand. This hybrid's parentage included Regal Ness (Texas) and the Florida dewberry. Yield records at San ford show that sister lines of Flordagrand, in ad dition to serving as pollinators, have done well, with several yielding over 10 pints per plant. Harvest has spread over about six weeks with peak production about May 1st. Brazos, a Texas blackberry has shown some "double blossom," but has produced close to six pints of large, sweet berries per plant the second year. Brazos begins to mature fruit later than Flordagrand, thus lengthening the blackberry harvesting season by a month. Public acceptance of these new Floridagrown blackberries has been excellent. LITERATURE CITED 1. Shoemaker, J. S., J. W. Wilson and R. H. Sharpe. Flordagrand, a New Blackberry for Home Gardens and Local Markets. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Circ. S-112, Dec Shoemaker, J. S. Pollination Requirements of Florda grand Blackberry. Fla. State Hort. Soc. Proc. 74: , RARE FRUIT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES Wm. F. Whitman Co-Founder and First President Rare Fruit Council AND Dr. Joseph P. Biebel Recording Secretary2 The first regular monthly meeting of the Rare Fruit Council of South Florida, covered by this current paper, was held on November 10, 1961 at the Simpson Memorial Garden Center. Our speaker of the evening was Assistant County Agricultural Agent Seymour Goldweber, who spoke on the subject of fertilizers, covering their analysis and organic versus inorganic fertilizers. Ray Richardson reported on a blended naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) pineapple (Ananas comosus) concentrate canned at Homestead, Florida. Major source of the naranjilla for this cannery is Costa Rica, where it is grown at ele vations of 3,000 feet or more. In this Central American country the fruit is picked green with orange dots showing and put in storage sheds for three to five days until the color changes to orange. The fruit is then inspected and washed with mechanical brushes that remove the fuzz. After going through a crushing machine and pulper the product is flash pasteurized at 180 degree F. and sealed in no. 10 cans for export. A smooth variety of naranjilla, without the fuzz, lwm. F. Whitman, 189 Bal Bay Drive, Bal Harbour 54, Florida. 2Dr. Joseph P. Biebel, 6810 S.W. 62nd Court, South Miami 43, Fla. is grown in Equador and reported to be less pro ductive. What was believed to be the first green sapote (Calocarpum viride) to fruit in Florida was reported at the December meeting. In No vember 1954 Dr. Wilson Popenoe, then director of the Escuela Agricola Panamericana at Tegu cigalpa, Honduras, sent the senior author scionwood of this fruit which was grafted on seedling stocks of the mamey Colorado (Calocarpum mammosum). Of the trees so grafted one at the Brooks-Tower Nursery in Homestead bore several green sapote fruits, a fruit somewhat similar in appearance to the related mamey Colorado only smaller. In a letter dated December 4, 1954 Dr. Popenoe wrote from Honduras stating, "I sus pect that is the first time anyone has made this graft." Ing. Filiberto Lazo, formerly with the Dept. of Horticulture, Agricultural Experiment Station, Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba, addressed the Coun cil's January session on "The Fruits of Cuba." First to be taken up was the mamey Colorado, a favorite with Cubans. Although large mamey sell for a dollar or more there is no intensive Cuban cultivation of this valuable crop, probably because trees have been known to take ten to fifteen years to bear from seed. A survey con ducted by the Santiago de las Vegas Experiment Station resulted in the discovery and later propa gation of an outstanding single seeded variety that produces soft, red fleshed, high quality fruit weighing up to eight pounds. Grafting, using scions with flower buds on them, was reported to bring the trees into bearing earlier. At the

2 394 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1962 Fruiting green sapote (Calocarpum viride) grafted on the mamey Colorado (C. mammosum). The scionwood was for warded to Miami from Honduras in 1954 by Dr. Wilson Popenoe. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman. station the mamey trees are set out 12 meters apart. The "Seedless Cuban Sugar-Apple" (Annona squamosa) is propagated at the Cuban station on its own rootstock, rather than using the cus tard-apple (A. reticulata) which was thought to have caused die-back after a period of initial growth. This seedless sugar apple is believed to be resistant to the chalcid fly which destroys many fruits by infesting the seeds. The "Seed less Brazilian Sugar-Apple," introduced into Cuba from Florida, grew well and upon fruiting was found to be almost identical to the Cuban one. A newspaper man in writing upon this work reported "The station is offering for distribution seeds of the seedless Annonas." The Bradley atemoya (A. squamosa X cherimolia), with a thicker skin than the sugar-apple was not at-

3 WHITMAN AND BIEBEL: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 395 Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) grafted onto the black sapote (D. ebenaster). The top of the rootstock has not yet been cut back by John Stermer, who made the graft in Hawaii. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman. tacked in Cuba by the chalcid fly. For the com mon seeded sugar-apple one to two DDT sprays, when the fruits are small, was found to be suf ficient for chalcid fly control. The soursop (A. muricata) is an important fruit in Cuba used in drinks, candy, ice cream, canned nectar and sauces for cakes and pud dings. Unlike the sugar-apple, which is raised in groves, the soursop grows wild and is har vested without cultivation. A completely fiberless soursop, slightly on the acid side, has been propa gated using A. montana as a rootstock and in troductions of this from Cuba are presently being grown in Florida on a trial basis. Calcareous soils have been found the most suitable for Annonas in Cuba and calcium sulfate fertilizers are used to increase yields. Two superior varieties of Spanish lime (Melicocca bijuga) have been vegetatively propagated in Cuba by tip grafting. These varieties are large fruited, with juicy, sweet pulp that does not adhere strongly to the seed. Introductions of these are presently being grown experimentally in Florida. The crop on the parent tree of one of the above two improved varieties sold for eighty-five Cuban dollars one year. Spanish limes are harvested in Cuba by breaking off the fruiting panicles, a practice con ducive to alternate bearing. Sold for ten centavos a bunch, both pulp and seed are edible. Other fruits covered by Ing. Lazo were the guava (Psidium guajava), used for guava jelly and paste, the star-apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), a nearly insect and disease free fruit in Cuba and the mammee-apple (Mammea americana), a fruit used mostly for cooking. Also present for the above meeting was guest visitor Ir. Thung Tjiang Pek, Head, Agricultural Division, Research Institute for Estate Crops,

4 396 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1962 Bongor, Indonesia, who spoke briefly on the fruits of the Far East. The Council was privileged in February to have Dr. Wilson Popenoe, author of the "Manual of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits," as guest speaker of the evening. His first topic was man gos (Mangifera indica) and a suggestion was made that a group of these related to the Julie be introduced from the South Pacific for ex perimental growing. Commenting on the Julie, he related this dwarf variety is resistant to the fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) and a dependable bearer. Dr. Popenoe reported observing 250 acres of shield budded cherimoyas (Annona cherimola) in Spain. He stated that in a moist climate the stigmas remain receptive and facilitate pollenation and that the custard-apple is used as a rootstock for the cherimoya in Central and South America. Additional fruits covered by Dr. Pope noe were the soursop, papaya (Carica sp.) rela tives, jaboticaba (Myrdaria cauliflora), surinam-cherry (Eugenia uniflora), black-sapote (Diospyros ebenaster), green sapote, lychee (Litchi ehinensis) and pili nuts (Canarium com mune). Also attending the February meetingwas Zwi Shachar, employed in the Subtropical Fruit Section of the Israel Fruit Growers Asso ciation. Mr. Shachar reported 5,000 acres of Canned longran (Euphoria longana) from Taiwan. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman. Cavendish bananas (Musa cavendishii), 1,000 acres of avocados (Persea americana), as well as mangos, persimmons (Diospyros kaki), loquats (Eriobotyra japonica), sugar-apples, cherimoyas and lychees being grown in Israel. Chi-Tung Sidney Chen, guest speaker from the Citrus Experiment Station, Lake Alfred, Florida, addressed the Council in March. His subject was "Fruit Growing in Taiwan," with special emphasis on the longan (Euphoria longana). He stated that the leading fruit grown in Taiwan is bananas (Musa sp.), 16,800 hectares, followed by pineapples (Ananas comosus), 9,300 hectares and citrus (Citrus sp.), 7,500 hectares. Over 2,000 hectares are planted in longan, which survives on marginal land where the lychee can not be grown. A Chinese saying states "Ten lychee flower, one fruit, one longan flower, ten fruit." Every other bloom panicle should be thinned out to increase fruit size and prevent alternate bearing tendencies. In China longans were sun dried, taking three or more days. The dried longan acquires a dark color and yellow dyes are used to lighten them up. Delicious canned Taiwan longans and lychees, brought by Sidney Chen, were sampled by the membership. A lively discussion followed as to which made the better canned product. The subject of mangos was covered in April by speaker Wm. W. Carmichael, former Florida Mango Forum President. In his address he stated that the mango producing areas of the world ex tend from 25 degrees south to 25 degrees north of the equator and a greater tonnage of mangos is produced than any other fruit. Having worked with mangos for thirty years and studied them in India and the Middle East, Mr. Carmichael is presently experimenting with plants grown from mango seeds exposed to irradiation. Of these, three that had been treated with cobalt 60 ap pear to have commercial possibilities. In his cross pollination work to develop new mango varieties the speaker uses a nylon mesh with 300 strands to the inch. This fine weave lets in light and a certain amount of air, but excludes pollen and insects. After having first treated the selected bloom panicles with a copper spray to eliminate anthracnose and mold, both the pollen source panicles and the future fruit pro ducing panicles are covered with mesh prior to pollen formation. When the pollen appears it is removed and shaken up with the other selected parents' panicle. Seeds from the resulting fruits are planted out and about 25 percent show in dications of a cross.

5 WHITMAN AND BIEBEL: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 397 Haahaa (Musa paradisiaca), a recently introduced low two weeks prior to ripening. Photo by Win. F. Whitman. Some of Mr. Carmichael's observations are that interplanting mango varieties does not increase the yields. Alkaline soils produce a bet ter crop of good quality fruit than a low ph. soil and also help to control anthracnose. The turpentine mango is thought to make the best rootstock. As the Florida mango industry moves north the groves must be located near the ocean or other large bodies of water. A limiting factor is the high price of land in such areas, and the inability of all varieties to withstand the cold. The Kent variety is thought to take the lowest temperatures while the Irwin and Julie are con sidered the least cold tolerant. The number one growing Hawaiian banana. The fruiting bunches turn yellow quest in the search for new mangos is for varie ties that would extend the season by coming into bearing earlier or later than those we have today. Mr. Carmichael's favorite eating mango is the Edward, a non-commercial variety. At the May meeting the senior author dis cussed the malay-apple (Syzygium malaccensis). Introduced into Hawaii during the early Poly nesian migrations it is usually only found grow ing there today in the damp, overcast, interior mountain valleys. In Hawaii the fruit is re ferred to as a "Mountain Apple" and during the fruiting season can be bought at roadside stands for twenty-five cents a pound. A white variation

6 398 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1962 Miraculous fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), an unusual "Taste-twister" that anesthetizes taste buds causing limes (Citrus aurantifolia) and other sour fruits to appear to become sweet. Photo by Win. F. Whitman. of this normally red fruit grows in Tahiti. The malay-apple makes an upright ornamental tree with large, dark green, glossy leaves and beau tiful crimson flowers that are followed by equally attractive fruit. Related species being grown in South Florida are the rose-apple (S. jambos), wax jambo (S. javanica), water rose-apple (S. aquea) and the jambolan (S. jambos). Still others are known in the Philippines which have not yet been introduced here. Of those listed above the malay-apple is the most tender to cold and requires a rich, moist soil for optimum growth. A pail of these fruit, grown in Bal Harbour, was brought to the meeting for sam pling. Other fruits offered to the membership were uvalha (Eugenia uvalha), wampi (Clausena lansium), carambola (Averrhoa carambola), imbe (Gardnia livingstonei) and the "tastetwister" miraculous fruit (Synsepalum dulcifi cum). Scott U. Stambaugh, well known South Flor ida papaya authority, spoke in June on "Papaya Growing in Dade County." Mr. Stambaugh re called the early days of commercial papaya groves when 135 more or less distinct varietal forms of Carica papaya had been introduced into Florida with the multiplicity of types that soon resulted from natural crosses. About 1922 Edward Simmonds of the U.S.D.A. Brickell Avenue Plant Introduction Garden began distributing seed of a Panamanian variety (B.P.L No ) which was typically hermaphroditic. From that time on there was an increasing tendency to use bi sexual types in breeding to produce more perm anent varieties. Around 1930 papaya processing became a stabilizing factor and commercial plant ings hit a peak in the late 1930's. With in creased papaya plantings came a build-up of the papaya fruit fly (Toxotrypana curvicauda) populatiqn and the resultant difficulty in harvesting uninfested fruit. Between 1935 and 1945 the papaya virus disease first appeared in Dade County and has since become the grower's num ber one problem. In an effort to remedy this situ-

7 WHITMAN AND BIEBEL: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 399 Only about one-third of the Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Company's 1,200-acre Keaau Orchard near Hilo, Hawaii shows in this aerial photograph. The triple row of taller trees running: through the center of the picture are Norfolk Island pines, planted as a windbreak. Buildings in the background are the company's processing plant, offices and main tenance shops. Photo by R. Wenkam. ation several approaches have been tried. Among them are using resistant strains, forcing an early, quick crop before the virus causes exten sive damage and growing papaya in areas where frost occurrs regularly enough and severe enough to kill out wild and domestic plantings that are not protected by firing. Mr. Stambaugh cited his former six acre planting at Babson Park, Florida as a successful example of the latter practice. In July Robert Newcomb, Homestead, Florida nurseryman, gave a demonstration of grafting techniques followed in August by Alfredo Magnye of the Philippines who spoke on coconuts before the assembled membership. S. W. Younghans reported on the outstanding success of the Coun cil's first "Annual Fruit Fair," a combination tropical fruit display and plant sale. This event, which occurred on July 14th., enabled the public to purchase for the first time many rare tropical fruit trees not offered by the nursery trade. The proceeds from the sale of over 400 plants will be used, among other things, to popularize the fruits of the tropics in South Florida. A talk in September, by Dr. Carl W. Camp bell, covered his background, present work at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station and plans for future research. He described the station, which he joined in 1960 as Assistant Horticulturist, as covering 120 acres and being staffed by twelve professional men, three of whom specialize in fruits. Dr. Campbell's present work covers the horticulture of the persian lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and mango, plant introduction and work with miscellaneous subtropical fruits of minor economic importance. A summary of plant acces-

8 400 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1962 sions gave 282 families, 1,241 genus, 3,367 species of which 1,353 species are alive at the station. In their collections there are over 100 avocado and mango varieties. In conclusion Dr. Campbell stated "Any research done in the culture of tropical and subtropical fruits in Florida is of value to world horticulture and I can forsee con siderable expansion of this program at the Flor ida Agricultural Experiment Station." Of considerable interest was a letter from Zwi Shachar in Israel, who had attended the Febru ary 1962 monthly meeting of the Rare Fruit Council in Miami. Quoting from his letter dated May 30, 1962, "A short time after my return home in the beginning of March I saw Dr. Chanan Oppenheimer, of our Research Station (Agr. Research Station, Rehovot, Israel), and passed on to him the information and one set of the reprints and statues of the Council. He was very interested and I imagine that we will probably try starting a similar venture of found ing such a council here in Israel in the not too far away future." "The Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Industry" was the title of an address delivered before the Council's October meeting, by the senior author of this paper. A recent trip to these islands en abled visiting Keaau Orchard, located eight miles from the City of Hilo, on the big island of Hawaii. Here Field Superintendent Hiroshi Ooka spent the day with the writer, enabling con siderable information on the Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Company's operation to be ob tained. This is the largest macadamia (Maca damia terndfolia) planting known to exist, with 80,000 trees planted on 1,200 acres that had been an ancient jungle covered larva flow. Five dif ferent grafted, improved varieties are presently being grown, a selection based on twenty years of experimentation in which nearly 60,000 seed lings were studied. Trees are set out 25 feet apart, making 70 trees to the acre, on a porous volcanic ph. 5.6 rocky soil. This area has an elevation of approximately 90 feet above sea level with an annual rainfall of 120 inches evenly disbtributed over the year. First bearing usually occurrs in five years, with the trees coming into full bearing on reaching fifteen years of age. Average yield of a mature tree varies from 100 to 140 pounds of husked, but in-shell nuts. Production figures give 5,000 pounds husked nuts to the acre, 33% ker nel and. 67% shell by weight. Cross-pollination of different varieties increases the yield. Dalapon, simazine and weed-burners are used to con trol grasses and weeds which would hinder the harvesting of fallen nuts from the ground. Of the new varieties number 660 looks promising from a growth habit and the characteristics of its nuts, but the yield is as yet unknown. During the past year fruit plant introduc tions have been received, on an exchange basis from many sources. Among those who partici pated are Roem Purnariksha, Deputy-Director, Thialand Dept. of Agr., Lee Lam Siew, Lee's Fruit Nursery, Malaya, Jose Miguel Calabria with the Fundacion Eugenio Mendoza, Vene zuela, Diego Serpa with the Central University of Venezuela, K. Shepherd of the Jamaica Ba nana Board Research Dept., Martin O. Moe, Costa Rica, Jean-Noel Maclet with the Govt. Experi ment Station, Tahiti as well as Leong Pung, Albert Duvel, Dr. Adrain Brash and John Stermer, all of Hawaii. THE MAMEY Julia F. Morton, Director Morton Collectanea University of Miami Coral Gables The current active and widespread interest in the chemical properties of plants has given new importance to certain species that have held for many years a minor position in our horti culture with little more than a glamour status as "rare fruit trees." One of these is the mamey (Mammea americana L.; family Guttiferae), also known as mammee, mammee apple, mamey de Santo Domingo, mamey de Cartagena, Saint Do mingo apricot, South American apricot, zapote de nino, etc. This species is often confused with the sapote, or mamey Colorado (Calocarpum sapota Merr.; family Sapotaceae) which is com monly called mamey in Cuba; and reports of its occurring wild in Africa are due to confusion with the African mamey (M. africana Sabine; syn. Ochrocarpus africanus Oliv.) Origin and Distribution The mamey is native to the West Indies and northern South America. It is commonly culti vated in the Bahama Islands and the Greater and