3o6 



varies greatly in quality and in some places the trees, while not 

 old, seem to be dving out. 



Alcuritcs iiioJuccana, the Knkiii, produces a nut too rich to be 

 eaten as a walnut, but exceedingly palatable when roasted as in 

 the inaniona of the natives. 



Phyllanthus distichus, the Tahitian Gooseberry, is a shrub with 

 small reddish flowers followed by a roundish, subacid fruit the 

 size of a marble. A desirable small fruit which I do not think has 

 yet been cultivated here. 



Morns alba, the white Mulberry; the fruit is small and sweet; 

 originally introduced for food for silkworms. 



Moms nigra, the Black Mulberry ; the fruit is readily forced 

 by trimming and is not unlike the Black Cap Raspberry of the 

 Eastern States. 



Morns atropurpurea of China produces a very agreeable berry 

 two inches long, and in great quantities. Why not cultivate this 

 in preference to the alba and nigra, which were planted here for 

 silkworm food? 



Ficus in die a, the Fig. It seems unnecessary to enlarge on thv^ 

 cultivation of this useful fruit, which here is mostly in the hands of 

 the Portuguese, but I may call attention to the profit that might 

 be in curing the white or Naples fig, which grows freely, bears 

 heavily and the fruit dries without decay on the tree. Dried, 

 these ligs bring (or did some years ago) double the price of 

 Smyrna figs ; they also are not tough skinned and insipid like the 

 Californian dried figs. 



ArtocarpHs incisa, the Bread-fruit, is rather a vegetable than 

 a fruit, and is planted for ornament rather than produce. As the 

 old gardens fall into the hands of the Orientals the breadfruits 

 come more and more into the market. 



Artocarpus intcgnfolia, the Jack, is also an ornamental tree, 

 and although the fruit grows to a considerable size on the north 

 coast of Hawaii, the fruit value is very inferior. In Singapore 

 the immense fruit is hlled with white seeds surrounded by a yel- 

 lowish transparent jelly of foul smell, but agreeable taste, so that 

 those vdio have no sense of smell (a larger proportion of civilized 

 mankind than is generally supposed) can happily enjoy the Jack- 

 fruit. 



