270 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



produced on this island, and the quantity raised is by 

 no means sufficient. America sends many cargoes 

 hither, to supply the lack. 



The Tamarind (Tamaritidus indie a L.) has not be- 

 come indigenous here, but is planted now and then. 

 The trees are of a large and fine growth, with stout 

 trunks and wide-spreading branches. The leaves of 

 this tree, as is well known, fold up at night. The fruit 

 is borne in quantity, pods 4-5 inches long, of a hard but 

 brittle shell, brown in color. Within, between tough, 

 woody fibres, lies the very sour marrow which sur- 

 rounds the seed. The shells are husked, and the inner 

 parts set in earthern pots, between layers of brown 

 sugar, and thus expedited. 



As yet, very little of consequence has been done in 

 wine-making ; but it is said that the wild-grapes grow- 

 ing here are very like the grapes of Madeira, and that 

 some good wine has been expressed from them already. 



Orange and lemon trees were at first transplanted by 

 Europeans but are now become quite native ; almost 

 all the known species and varieties are to be met with 

 here. The best crop of oranges is gathered about 

 Christmas ; the August crop does not yield such agree- 

 able fruit. The sweet oranges bear properly but once 

 a year ; but the commoner sour oranges, and the bitter- 

 sweet, yield ripe fruit mostly throughout the year, how- 

 ever it is plucked in the greatest quantity at the time 

 mentioned. More rare are the ' soursoops,' (Pumpel- 

 mus, Citrus decumana L.*) The sort produced most 

 abundantly, and less known in Europe, is Limes, which 



* Citrus fructu sphaerico-octavo punctato lsevi minori acido. 

 Brown, Nat. hist of Jamaica p. 308, n. 1. Malus aurantia 

 fructu limonis pusillo acidissimo. Sloane, Voyage, II, p. 182. 



