A SPRING VISIT TO NASSAU. 781 



tomed to seeing the bunches in shop windows or in the markets, they 

 are suspended in the direction opposite to that from which they 

 grow. The orange, one of the most important of all fruits, and its 

 allied species, lime, lemon, called there " sour," grape fruit, and 

 shaddock, grow abundantly on the islands. The orange tree is the 

 hardiest member of the citrus family, and is raised farther north 

 than most fruits that grow in the tropics. There is a variety known 

 as the sour orange, some plants of which have become wild, and are 

 known as bitter-sweets. They are very juicy, and have a slight acid 

 flavor. We bought fruit of a greenish color, which did not look 

 ripe, and certainly did not taste as agreeable as the rich golden kind 

 we are accustomed to. It is a mistake to say that oranges are no 

 longer raised from seeds, for that is the customary method of propa- 

 gation throughout the West Indies. The cultivation of the pine- 

 apple is one of the industries of the Bahamas, but they are not 

 grown to any extent on the island of ISTew Providence. The de- 

 composed coral rock of these islands is a favorable soil for their cul- 

 tivation. They grow singly upon plants which attain an average 

 height of about a foot and a half, and have long, narrow leaves 

 with sharp, serrated edges. Consequently, the men, women, and 

 children working among them are obliged to protect their legs with 

 strong canvas leggings, and their hands with heavy gloves, to which 

 gauntlets are attached. We bought soursops, custard apples, and 

 star apples in the market. Many other fruits that grow on this 

 island were not ripe at the time we were there. They include water- 

 melon, pumpkin, alligator or avocado pear, guava, groundnut or pea- 

 nut, papaw, seaside grape, cocoa plum, cucumber, rose apple, bread- 

 fruit, egg plant, cashew nut, and mammee. Owing to the rapid 

 ripening and decay of these fruits after being picked, it is almost 

 impossible to export them with success. Pineapples, oranges, ba- 

 nanas, and cocoanuts are the principal fruits that are exported; the 

 two latter, with plantains, can be obtained throughout the year. 

 Most of the fruits grow spontaneously, but the breadfruit has been 

 introduced. In 1787 the English Government sent the bark 

 Bounty, commanded by Captain Bligh, to take young trees of the 

 breadfruit from Otaheite to the West India Islands. Owing to the 

 mutiny of the crew, the transfer of the trees was not accomplished 

 till several years later. 



One of the first questions we would ask our guide and driver 

 when we saw a new fruit was, " Is it good to eat? ' : On one occa- 

 sion, referring to the sailor's apple, he said, " If yer eat it, it'll do yer 

 up " ; of another he said, " It'll put yer in yer grave." The seaside 

 grape, sailor's apple, and many other trees and shrubs that grow in 

 barren or exposed places have their leaves standing vertically, so 



