1839.] jruits. 143 



The oca is an oval-shaped root ; the outer skin is a most 

 delicate red, and inside it is white.* It is watery when cooked, 

 but has a sweetish taste. The raashua resembles the oca in 

 this respect, though it is somewhat more insipid ; it is of a 

 flat pyramidal shape, however, and its lower end terminates 

 in a fibrous point. 



Lucern, or alfalfa, as it is called by the natives, is the 

 great article used for fodder. From the " sea-beat shore*' of 

 the Pacific, across the sunny slopes of the tihra calimle, up 

 the luxuriant valleys and gloomy quebradas of the interior, 

 to the rocky heights of the Sierra, eleven thousand feet above 

 the level of the ocean, it is scattered lavishly around. It is 

 cut from three to five times during the year, and, as may 

 readily be presumed, furnishes an almost inexhaustible sup- 

 ply of provender. The hot weather of the coast, in Febru- 

 ary and March, and the keen frosts of the mountainous dis- 

 tricts, occasionally dry it up, and the mais/'I/o is then used 

 in its stead. 



The most fastidious epicure would be delighted with the 

 fruits which ripen in the fine climate, and on the rich soil, of 

 Peru. Besides the vine and olive, the succulent pomegran- 

 ate, famed for its " pleasant sweetness," the luscious plantain, 

 the grateful and nutritious banana, and the juicy guava,* 

 are found here in profusion. Apples and pears grow but in- 

 differently ; and cherries, plums, and chestnuts, are likewise 

 as inferior as they are rare. The absence of these produc- 

 tions of temperate climes is more than made up, however, by 

 the extensive groves of oranges, lemons, limes, nectarines, 

 and granadillas, which occupy the warm mountain valleys 

 even as high as ten thousand feet above the sea. Peaches 

 and apricots, too, of the finest and most agreeable flavor, are 

 abundant, In the months of April and May, excursions to 

 the durazndles, or apricot-gardens, are all the rage. Melons 



* The fruit of the guava is yellow and smooth, and a little larger than a hen's 

 egg. The pulp is flesh colored, and has a very agreeable aromatic taste. It is 

 used at the dessert and made into a preserve. The jelly prepared from it is one 

 of the finest conserves. 



