Nilgiri is synonymous with Ooty apple. This fruit, known for its many health benefits, was introduced by the British who settled in the Nilgiris. Although adapted to the climate of the Nilgiris, the cultivation of the fruit went through trials and difficulties.
The British officer who wrote the Nilgiri Gazette was W. Francis says that English fruit trees were imported into the Nilgiris almost as soon as the first Europeans settled there. But no systematic record survives of the varieties that were tried or what success each achieved. But the records of the proceedings of the Nilgiri Agro-Horticultural Society for March 1902 provide some insight into the subject. It was prepared by British officers General Morgan, Sir Frederick Price and General Baker. The first person to succeed in the cultivation of the fruit was John Davison, a trained gardener in Kew, England. He is also said to have introduced the Pippin, which is now very common in the hills and quite favourable.
a ‘beautiful’ fruit
“Its fruit is a beautiful apple often weighing more than a pound and its color varies from pale striped red to brilliant scarlet. Grafted on crabapple stock, it grows rapidly and bears heavy fruit in conditions at altitudes above 5,000 feet. It is best grown in bush form,” writes Francis about the importation and cultivation of apples and other fruits.
M. Narasimham, former head of the Department of Botany, Madras Christian College, said that about 30% of the flora in the Nilgiris were exotic species. “The British brought fruits and other plants for their needs,” he said.
The slopes around Coonoor, Kateri, Kotagiri, Kalhatti and the higher parts of Ootacamund were suitable for apple growing as there was no frost there. Excellent varieties were developed by General Baker at Tudor Hall and General Morgan at Snowdon. Badagas also placed several pieces of Pippin in these areas.
danger from an insect
But the gardens were under greater threat from the American aphid, a pest that affected not only the branches but also the roots. The insect destroyed the entire garden. There was no cure, and entire trees infested with insects had to be burned. Francis says that this insect spreads easily through the clothes of porters working among the trees, sambar, cuttings of infected trees and even by selling fruits. The situation prevented many people from growing trees. One reason for the spread of the insect was the failure to disinfect plants brought from England. Subsequently, fresh stocks from Australia, accompanied by certificates testifying that the plants had been disinfected with hydrocyanic acid gas, were obtained for a small fee.
Another disease that plagued gardens was canker, “which usually begins at the collar and is usually caused by an excess of manure, by the sinking of the roots into the cold sub-soil, or by injuring the bark by the careless use of a mammuti (a garden tool) while weeding. This was examined by cutting out the diseased part, and painting the wound with grafting wax or ordinary oil paint,” writes Francis.
Velvet apples were displayed at Sims Park, Coonoor during the fruit show held in May this year. , Photo Courtesy: M. Satyamurthy
Australian apples flourished well at Downham and the best varieties were Margill, Devonshire Quarenden, Adams Pearman and Acklinville Seedling. The trees, which overwinter from December to late February, are pruned in January and pruned in winter. They ripen in July and August. According to Francis, trees require root pruning, more frequently than in England, and due to the climate pruning is done in summer or stopped in July.
Francis says that pears also resemble apples, but take longer to bear fruit. The best stock according to Francis is the China pear, commonly known as the native pear in the Nilgiris. The Williams Bon Chrétien pear is a large pear and has great flavor. But, like Jargonel, another variety, it does not keep well. The pear, known as Kieffer or Bartlett, which was grown extensively in America for canning, was introduced from Saharanpur. Jersey’s Louis Bonne and Beauremie Diel, all imported from Australia, promised to do well at Downham.
Meddlers did well at Downham
Quince grew well in the medlars and almost all parts of the hills at Downham. Peaches were grown from stone. Plants were imported from England and usually grafted onto almond or plum stock and set to buds and failed to thrive.
Again good peach varieties imported from Australia – Red Shanghai, Carmen, Gros Mignon and Emma – are suitable for this region. Plums and apricots were other fruits grown in the mountains. George Oakes and Charles Gray imported the famous Japanese flowering cherries in 1906. Himalayan cherry was common in Coonoor, but its fruits were extremely acidic. Oakes also brought gooseberries from England. Francis writes, raspberries were imported and the red variety was in abundance in Ooty.
tea replaces apple
Apple orchards have been slowly disappearing over the past four decades due to a combination of factors including disease and rising labor costs. Local historians claim that a gradual change in consumer preference – for fruits imported from other parts of the world – broke the backs of apple growers in the Nilgiris as farming became uneconomical. From the 1970s and 1980s, apple and orange orchards were gradually replaced by tea plantations.
(With inputs from Rohan Premkumar)
