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Seeds to a fruity feast
Book review
For the specialist horticulturist as well as the beginner, 'Fruit Farming' promises hours and days of contentment, which will even allow one to reap a harvest in time to come.

It can be a hobby and it can be more, 'Fruit Farming' edited by Kolitha Ratnayaka and published by Arjuna Hulugalle Dictionaries, sets out to "enthuse and reinforce the interests of the reader to this fascinating occupation".

Though his sudden demise created a void especially felt in the agricultural life of Sri Lanka, Ratnayaka left behind a heritage which will bear fruit for the country's future.

One-time General Manager of the Janatha Estates Development Board and later Chairman of the State Plantation Corporation, he was Chairman of the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority for several years and also worked as Assistant Secretary General of the Planters' Association of Ceylon.

Kolitha Ratnayaka has endeavoured to bring together a collection of articles by competent agriculturalists and horticulturalists, among them contributions by T.H. Parsons - Curator at Peradeniya Gardens from 1914 - 1945. The first section of the publication includes a series of these articles.

Parsons details certain factors which qualify our country to become an ideal location for a successful fruit grower stating "he has various climatic conditions and a variety of soils at his disposal" and adds that the climate exhibits both tropical and sub-tropical conditions.

Guiding the fruit farmer through the process of cultivating rare crops, the book specifies which fruits grow in which climates and geographic locations. Fruits such as mangosteen, durian, grapefruit, rambutan, sapodilla etc grow in the low country wet zone (sea level upto 1,500 feet), while Avocado pear, Brazil cherry and Ceylon gooseberry grow in the mid-country wet zone (1,500 to 4,000 feet).

The book tells the horticulturist what he needs to know about crop rotation, and such practical advice as the fact that with wide spacing between trees, an interplanted catch crop of some other commodity can be grown for the early years.

With regard to export Parsons states, "India affords a promising field for the development of a market for Ceylon mangosteens, particularly as they can be sent as deck cargo without the need for refrigeration or special packing, but much work will have to be done in popularising the fruit before a regular demand can be created."

The book also contains a store of fascinating information such as that the bark of the Sapodilla tree contains a milky latex known commercially as "chickle" which is secured by tapping the trunk. This is used in considerable quantities in the United States of America as a basis for chewing gum, the source of supply being chiefly Mexico and Central America.

"Back to nature, eco-farming, organic and environmentally friendly sustainable agriculture are in vogue today. It is useful to recapture some of the old strategies of crop rotation, soil conservation, composting, green manuring and grafting techniques."

"In the wider and world view it should be realised that the expansion in fruit production and correspondingly in the consumption of fruit throughout the world has, within the past ten years, and despite the world depression, exceeded enormously any previous decade, both in domestic consumption and in export," Parson states.

Orchards are being started though slowly and support from the public and government is forthcoming to encourage these ventures.

A Reprint from the Tropical Agriculturist June, 1936 Editorial sets out, "The people of this country have, in the jargon of the day, become "fruit conscious." On the one hand the prolonged stagnation in the three major products has induced agriculturalists to turn more and more to fruit growing as an investment; on the other the "Eat more fruit" slogan, which is based on sound principles of dietary science has stimulated the public demand for fruit.

These conditions are very favourable to the creation of a prosperous industry, but neither the producer nor the consumer is satisfied. The former complains that he can find no market for the sale of his produce; the latter that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain good locally grown fresh fruit.

Ironically nearly 70 years on, the situation remains the same. Although a potentially income generating exercise, fruit farming and fruit marketing remains largely untapped with crates of foreign fruit dominating the sidewalks. However, the book 'Fruit Farming' contains the seeds to enrich the health of the economy as well as the people. - Nilika

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