39 



Further information on the pumelow was contributed by Sir 

 Daniel Morris to the Gardeners' Clironidc, 1896. Vol. II., p. 616, as 

 follows : — 



I have been asked more than once lately whether there is no 

 fruit, yet unknown to most English palates, which might be in- 

 troduced into this country, and form a pleasant article of food. 

 As there seems to be some general interest in the subject, your 

 readers may, perhaps, like to hear of some fruits which have come 

 under my notice. 



The pumelow of India, one of the giant members of the orange 

 tribe, is well known to people who have lived in the East. Some 

 very large specimens have been known to attain a circumference 

 of more than two feet, and to weigh from 15 to 20lbs. Generally 

 pumelows are not held in high esteem in India and Ceylon, except 

 by those who have lived long there, and know how to select the 

 best sort by their size and colour. The best Bombay pumelows 

 are said to be exceptionally good. They have a pink pulp of a 

 juicy character, sweet in flavour, with a slight but agreeable bitter 

 taste. The first pumelows were brought to the West Indies by Cap- 

 tain Shaddock about 150 years ago. Since that time the fruit has 

 always been known in that part of the world as the shaddock, in 

 compliment to the person who introduced it. Owing to circum- 

 stances of soil and climate, and to the raising of plants almost 

 exclusively by seed, many varieties have sprung up that have be- 

 come recognized by distinct names. Of the larger fruits, the 

 pumelow or shaddock proper, there are two well marked forms ; 

 the first is the apple-shaped shaddock, usually with a whitish or 

 a pale pink pulp, the other is a pear-shaped fruit, with a pink, 

 and sometimes a deep crimson pulp. Both these are large fruits, 

 weighing from 3 to 6 lbs. in weight ; they have the characteristic 

 pale yellow skin, and inside there is a white pithy layer more or 

 less thick ; then comes the pulp with the vesicles or juice bags 

 very prominent — indeed the latter are so distinct that they can be 

 easily separated the one from the other. The bitter flavour 

 is very marked in the inferior sorts, in some instances it becomes 

 quite acrid. The best sorts have a sweetish flavour and only a 

 slight taste of bitter, of the smaller fruits, to which Macfadyen has 

 given the name of Paradise fruits, there are in the West Indies two 

 well marked forms. The apple shaped fruits are known as for- 

 bidden fruit, while the pear shaped sorts are known as Barbados 

 grape fruit. Both these are vei'y attractive looking fruits ; they 

 have a pale yellow skin usually very thin, are soft and silky to 

 the touch, while the pulp is sweet and refreshing. The slightly 

 bitter flavour is regarded as giving them tonic properties of great 

 value in dyspepsia and allied ailments. 



During the last fifteen years the paradise fruits, or more cor- 

 rectly grape fruit, have been in great demand in the United States. 

 They have been very strongly recommended by the medical 

 faculty, and in consequence their use has become an important 

 feature in the diet of a large number of the American people. 



