Fruit Growing in India

– In a country as rich in fascinating horticultural plants as is India, A number of books have been written on gardening, mostly by amateurs whose love for their hobby is apparent. Many of these works contain sections on fruit, but the main emphasis has been on ornamental gardening. The growing of fruit for the market has been left largely in the hands of poor and uneducated men who have been content to continue the practices of their ancestors, and where these have failed, to accept failure. The potential importance of the fruit industry, and its great value to the country, were largely overlooked. When the author started practising and teaching fruit growing in India, the lack of any satisfactory text-book, and the scarcity of scientific reports on the subject proved great difficulties. Scientific investigation of the problems of pomology has increased markedly in recent years, particularly under the stimulus of the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research. The present attempt to meet that need was begun earlier. The material has been gathered and organized a chapter or two at a time, and published unbound, primarily for the use of students of Allahabad Agricultural Institute.