Abstract

Both as a commercial fruit and as an important part of the home orchard, plums have come to be recognised as the leading fruit crop on the Nilgiris. With an estimated area of about 150 acres and a reputation for the highest yield among the decidnous fruits in this tract, combined with the tree hardiness and regularity of bearing, the plum has a much wider appeal to the growers on the higher altitudes of South India than any other fruit. The extension of plum production, however, has not been as rapid as its importance justifies, owing, mainly, to the perishable nature of the fruit, its poor transporting capacity, and above all the well-known prejudice in South India against the relatively greater acid blend of most varieties of the plum. There is reason to hope that, with the expected improvement in transport facilities in the near future and with increasing awareness of the public of the nutritive value of fruits in general, the increased production and consumption of plums will be stimulated progressively.

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