It6 



TEE AGRICUL'rURA.L NEW, 



June 27, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



GUAVA JELLY. 



The fact that guava fruits decay so readily on 

 reaching a stage of ripeness renders their shipment on 

 a commercial scale to outside countries almost 

 impossilile. The culture of the guava, however, need 

 not 1)6 the less remunerative on this account, since 

 "well-prepared guava jelly finds such a I'eady market in 

 all countries whcie it is once known, that its produc- 

 tion may well become a substantial source of profit. 

 This question is referred to in the course of an article 

 ' Some Opportunities in Subtropical Fruit Growing,' 

 that appeared in the Yvavhadl.- of the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture, 190.5, and which contains the following 

 account of the methods employed in Florida in the 

 preparation of jelly and other guava conserves : — 



Tlic j^navas are pickiMl u[i every morning and t;i];rn to the 

 factory, where the}' aie weighed, and later sorted to remove ;iny 

 biid fruits that may have been delivered. The guavas are turned 

 into a boiler for prelinunary cooking, after which the juice 

 is filtered through a heavy, coarse fabric, which prevents any 

 of the pulp from pa.ssing thi-ough. The juice is afterwards 

 bottled or put into jars, sterilized by means of heat, seafe(k and 

 kcfit in these vessels until the jelly is wanted on the market. 

 TluM|Uantity desired is then taken from the containers, sugar 

 is ilihled. ;nid tlic juicr is lioiled long iMiongli to give the 

 proi)er colour, when it is placed in the jelly containers and 

 sent to the market. The fancy i)roduct is p\u i\\} in glass 

 jars, .sealed and labelled propei-ly, while tlic cliea|)er grades 

 are placed in paper bo.xes, in wliirli form llic jelly is sold as 

 cheap as •20c. per lb. retail. 



In a<ldition to guava j(dly, anothci' piodnct is somclinic^ 

 made that resend)les the jelly in tirmness, but which might be 

 brietiy described as jellied marmalade. This preparation is 

 known ly- several names, as guava cheese, guava paste, etc. 

 It is moulded in various cubical or oblong shapes and 

 wra|i]ied in oiled [laper. The formulas for making it are ver\ 

 numerous, but in general it is comiiosed of the best of the 

 guava imlji. containing sutlit'ient juice to cau.se it to become 

 firm like jelly when propi-rly cooked with the requfsite amount 

 ■of .sugar. In addition t<i jelly and cheese, wine and 

 vinegar are also made from the guava, both of which are said 

 to be excellent. 



Conied guavas arc rarely seen oiitsiiU' of the guava 

 licit, but they mnke a fine appearance and are delicious. To 

 pri'pa;e them for canning, the firm, lipe fruits are chosen, 

 jiare 1 and (juartered, and then treated like any other fruit. 

 The more fastidious housekeepers choose the thick-meated 



guavas, and in addition to paring the fruits, they also remove 

 the seeds. The fruit that has become too ripe to make good 

 jelly, or is not firm enough for canning, may .still be u.sed for 

 marmalade. For immediate table use, sliced guavas with 

 sugar and cream make an excellent des.sert. 



The Montserrat Preserving Industry- Company, 

 whose j:)rodiH-ts were referred to in the Ayru'ulturat 

 News, Vol. V'll, p. 52, make a specialty of guava 

 conserves in different forms. 



COCOA-NLTS IN PORTO RICO. 



It is believed that there are good prospects of 

 pidht in conne.Nion with the cocoa-nut industry of 

 Porto Hieij, and the report of the Experiment Station of 

 the island (1907) states that cocoa-nut; plantations 

 are increasing in number, while in addition a good deal 

 of general planting of cocoa-nut trees is also being done. 

 The accomp.m} ing notes are taken from the report : — 



Efforts have been made liy otticers at the Experiment 

 Station to obtain .some data in reganl to the number of 

 fruits a tree will bear during the year. Though many 

 countings have been made, the variation has been found to 

 be so great that as yet it is inipo.ssible to give any accurate 

 figures. Trees have been observed bearing as m.iny as 

 225 nuts at one time, and a crop of from 125 to 150 nuts 

 has been found very conunon in the .section where the cocoa- 

 nut trees appear to flourish best, ^[ost authors reporting on 

 this subject give an average of 120 to 125 nuts for the 

 whole year, but from data gathered here it would seem as 

 though there is a higher avciagc in the better cocoa-nut 

 sections of I'orto Uico. 



Cultivation, fertili/.ation, and seed .selection are found 

 to have an important infiui-nce on the rapidity of develop- 

 ment of a cocoa-nut plantation, as well as on its |iro(btctive- 

 ness. From data obtained it can be strongly reciimmendcd to 

 those starting new groves that they look carefully to the 

 physical condition of their soil, the selection of theii' .seed, 

 and the cultivation and fertilization of the trees. By paying 

 atti'iition to tlie.se ])oints they may gain from one to three 

 years in the ilevelopmcnt of the plantations. 



'flius far none of the drcadcil cocoa-nut di.sea.ses have 

 been observed or reported. There are some minor diseases 

 |iresent in the groves, but they are almost entirely due to 

 neglect of the trees and are not to be feared by the careful 

 yri >\\cr. 



