Fruits are plentiful in tropical countries. Nature compensates the people who suffer from so much heat hy providing them with delicious fruits. In Punjab, we have mangoes, oranges, maltas, bananas, peaches, pomegranates, mulberries, luqaths, figs, dates, guavas, pluins, and so on. We get apples, pears, apricots, and almonds from Sakardu and Kashmir, and grapes and raisins from Quetta, so that throughout the year we have one fruit or other, and in plenty.
Mangoes are very delicious and nourishing, and sell very cheap. The rich and the poor alike enjoy them during the rainy season. Apples and pears are dear, and poor people cannot afford to buy them. Banana and plantains are available throughout the year, and are substantial food. Sugarcane, melons, and water-melons are cultivated in the fields, and are very nourishing.
Oranges, especially malta ones, are very delicious to eat, and are easy to digest. They strengthen the digestive organs by their acid juice. They can be given even to sick persons as they are very refreshing. Dates abound in the districts of Multan and Jhang. We get coconuts from Bengal.
Fruit culture is a flourishing industry in Northern areas, where French pears and apples have been grown with success. They are crisper than the Kashmir products and have a little acid taste. We have not yet found this industry paying, but more and more attention is being paid to it now. Large quantities of these fruits rot here because they are not transported. the preservation of fruits, and the making of pickles, marmalades. jams, and sauces by recent scientific methods have great possibilities before them.