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Fruit spheroidal, its surface regular, of a greenish yellow color; the rind is white, thick, fungous, bitter; the pulp is red or white, with a subacid, sweet juice. This fruit is deemed the least useful class. Yet its extraordinary size gives it a striking appearance. It is stated to grow sometimes to the diameter of from seven to eight inches, and to the weight of fourteen pounds. But it requires two years to arrive at maturity in the climate of Europe. The leaf is the most beautiful of all the orange tribe. The juice is excellent to allay thirst, and from the thickness of the skin, it will keep longer in sea voyages than any other species.

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CULTIVATION. -The trees are propagated either by seed, cuttings or layers. If raised from seeds they must be inoculated, inarched, or grafted when of suitable size; for the seedlings vary as much in quality, as the seedlings of the apple or pear. The best stocks are raised from the seed of the common citron or lemon, and next to these from the Seville orange. The cuttings are prepared by stripping the lower leaves, and cutting at the bottom close to an eye; these are to be placed in a pot, touching the bottom, or a piece of potsherd, and put in a warm situation, carefully shaded and covered with a hand glass till rooted.

All the varieties require a strong soil, and a protected and situation in unfavorable climates.

PINE-APPLE. (Bromelia ananas.) Hort. Trans. Loudon, Phillips, Lindley, and other sources.

The Pine-apple is a native of Brazil and of Mexico, from whence it has been introduced to Asia, Africa, and Europe. According to Swinburn, it flourishes unprotected at Reggio, near Naples. In America, it grows as far north as the Bermudas. According to Loudon, it is by no means so delicate as many imagine; as it will bear a higher degree of heat, and a degree of cold which would have destroyed the foliage of the vine and peach in a state of vegetation. The most northerly points where they are known to be cultivated in Europe unprotected in the open ground, is at Reggio, near Naples, lat. 40° 50′. In America, at the Bermudas, in the latitude of 329. Not a doubt can, I think, exist, but this fruit may be cultivated in Florida, between the latitudes of 25° and 30°.

"The leaves of the pine-plant are long, narrow, channelled, and in general furnished with spines or prickles on their edges. The flowers are on a loose spike, on a scape, which is leafy at top; as the spike ripens, it takes the form of a fleshy, scaly strobile, or fruit composed of many berries, which have scarcely any cells or seeds.”

The fruit, in form bears some resemblance to the cones of some species of pine; its flesh is pretty firm, of a delicious fragrance; and for richness of flavor it is thought unrivalled. Some have described its flavor like that of "strawberries with wine and sugar." Extraordinary specimens have weighed from nine to ten pounds.

USES.The pine-apple it considered the best of the dessert fruits; it is also preserved in sugar, and is used in the preparations of marmalades and other confectionaries. And the juice of the pine-apple, fermented, affords a delicious and wholesome vinous liquor.

VARIETIES.

1. ANTIGUA QUEEN. Lindley.

Fruit large, oval; pips large and prominent; flesh deep yellow, rich and highly flavored.

2. BLACK ANTIGUA. Brown Antigua. Neill. Lindley. Leaves of a brownish tinge, with strong prickles. Fruit shaped like the frustrum of a pyramid, but somewhat oval, of a large size; flesh pale yellow, and high flavored.

3. BLACK JAMAICA. Neill. Lindley.

The fruit is large, pyramidal, brownish yellow. Flesh deep yellow and high flavored.

4. ENVILLE. Coxcomb. Lindley.

The fruit is pyramidal or oval-oblong, of medium size, deep orange; flesh pale yellow, and well flavored.

5. MONTSERRAT. Indian Black Pine. Ripley. Neill. Lind. The leaves are broad, long, recurved. Fruit roundish ovate, color pale; pips angular; flesh pale yellow, very sweet and high flavored.

6. NEW BLACK JAMAICA. Lindley.

The leaves are long, the fruit is large, pyramidal, dark brown; flesh pale yellow, rich, and very high flavored. 7. WHITE PROVIDENCE. New Providence. Loud. Lind. The leaves are very large and long; the fruit is the

largest of all pines, oval-oblong. Flesh very pale, sweet, and juicy. Weight from six to fourteen pounds.

8. QUEEN. Old Queen, Narrow leaved Queen. Lind. Neill. Esteemed the handsomest kind. Fruit of medium size; oval form, of a gold color; flesh yellow, juicy and sweet, with a very pleasant acid.

9. RUSSIAN GLOBE. Lindley.

Fruit large, oval, dark orange; the flesh yellow, rich, and high flavored. A very excellent fruit.

CULTIVATION AND SOIL. The pine apple is propagated by seeds, only for obtaining new varieties. But generally from suckers, or else from the crowns or excrescences growing on the fruit. The most suitable soil appears to be a mixture of good loam or with a suitable proportion of sand and vegetable mould or manure. The pine apple requires much heat and moisture.

PLANTAIN. (Musa paradisiaca.) Phillips. Loudon.

Some assign this plant to Guinea, some to the East Indies. whence it was carried to the Canary Islands and the West Indies, and Egypt. It is an herbaceous perennial plant, as it dies, or is cut down annually. It rises with a soft, herbaceous, conical stalk, fifteen or twenty feet high, with leaves issuing from the top, six feet long and two feet broad. The fruit is produced on the summit in spikes, which sometimes weigh forty pounds. It is nine or ten inches long, and formed like a cucumber, but pointed at the ends; of a pale yellow color, and soft, sweet, luscious flavor. The fruit makes excellent tarts, and excellent sweetmeats, and is the most wholesome of all confectionary. It forms a principal part of the food of the negroes, who either broil or roast it; they boil it with salt beef, pork, and salt fish, and prefer it to bread, as do the Europeans. Dr Wright says, the island of Jamaica would scarcely be habitable without this fruit, as no species of provisions could supply its place. Dampier calls it the king of fruits. A plantation affords a succession of fruit for a whole year. thrives only in rich, flat ground, and is propagated by suckers from the roots.

It

BANANA TREE. (Musa sapientum.) Loudon. Phillips. It differs little from the plantain, having the stalks marked with dark purple stripes and spots, and the fruit is

shorter and rounder. The fruit is more mellow, and is either eaten raw, or roasted, in fritters, preserves, marmalade; and the fermented juice affords an excellent wine. This fruit according to Swinburn, grows in the open air at Reggio. From the fibres of the tree of the Banana, cloth and cordage is made of uncommon strength.

M. Humboldt has calculated that the same ground which will produce four thousand pounds of bananas, will only produce thirtythree pounds of wheat, and ninetynine pounds of potatoes.

AKEE TREE. (Blighia sapida.) Loudon.

The fruit is esteemed in the West Indies as very wholesome and nourishing; a native of Guinea, and grows from twenty to twentyfive feet high, with numerous branches; leaves like the ash, alternate and pinnate. The fruit is reddish or yellow, the size of a goose egg, with a pulp of a grateful subacid flavor. It is propagated in a rich soil, from seeds, cuttings and layers.

ALLIGATOR PEAR, OR ADVOCADO PEAR. (Laurus persea.) Loudon.

It grows in the West Indies to the height of thirty feet, with a large trunk. The leaves are like the laurel, of a deep green. Fruit the size of a large pear, and held in great esteem where it grows. The pulp is pretty firm, and has a delicate, rich flavor so rich and mild, that most people make use of some spice or pungent substance to give it poignancy either wine, lime juice, but mostly pepper and salt. It is raised from seeds.

ANCHOVY PEAR. (Grias cauliflora.) Loudon.

This is, in the West Indies, an elegant tree, rising to the height of fifty feet. The leaves are two or three feet long, and oblong. The fruit is oval, the size and shape of an alligator's egg. It is pickled and eaten like the mango of the East Indies, which it greatly resembles in taste. is raised from the stones, and grows in moist bottoms or shallow waters.

AURUCANIAN PINE, OR PEHEUN,

It

Is by some supposed a new genus; its branches form a quadrangular pyramid; the leaves are three inches in

length, heart shaped, hard and shining; its fruit attains the size of a man's head, and in taste resembles the chesnut. It in Chili. Ed. Enc. Art. Chili. grows BREAD FRUIT. (Artocarpus incisa.)

A native of the South Sea Islands, where it obtains the size of the oak; the leaves alternate, glaucous, and two feet long. The whole tree and its fruit, while unripe, abounds in a tenacious milky juice. The fruit is the size and shape of a child's head, with a rough surface and thin skin. It is eatable to the core, which is the size of the handle of a small knife. The eatable part is as white as snow, of the consistence of new bread. It is roasted before it is eaten. It is slightly sweet, and its taste somewhat insipid at first. Two or three of the trees of the bread fruit will suffice for a man's yearly supply.

Raised from seeds, layers, or suckers.

CASHEW NUT. (Anacardium.)

A native of the East and West Indies and of the Brazils. The tree grows to the height of twenty feet, with leaves like a walnut in form and odor; the flowers in tufts and odoriferous. The fruit is in size like an apple, of a white, yellow, or red color; its taste like a cherry most of them sweet and pleasant, but sometimes sharp and astringent. The expressed juice affords a fine rough wine, and by distillation a spirit superior to arrack, rum or brandy. The seed is not enclosed in the fruit, but grows on its summit; it is kidney shaped; its hard, rough, black shell, encloses a large kernel, the finest in the world. When roasted they are far superior to pistachios and almonds, and ground with cacao they make superior chocolate. From the trunk there annually exudes often ten or twelve pounds of a fine semi-transparent gum, similar in quality and equal to gum arabic. The tree produces fruit the third year, and continues productive one hundred years.

CACAO. (Cacao theobroma.)

The chocolate tree is a native of South America, and of Mexico. It is there an article of commerce, next only to gold and silver. The tree is beautiful, rising from sixteen to twenty feet in height; it resembles the cherry tree in its form and its leaves; and is splendid when in bloom.

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