STUDY X. 357 



and, finally, fome are in a ftate of perfed matu- 

 rity. The cocoa is the feaman*s tree. 



It is not the heat of the Tropics which gives to 

 this tree a fecundity fo confiant, and fo varied ; 

 for the fruits of the trees have, in the Indies, as 

 in our climates, feafons of ripening, and after 

 which they are feen no more till the feafon re- 

 turns. I know of no other, except the cocoa- 

 tree and the banana, which are in fruit all the year 

 round. This laft mentioned plant is, in my opi- 

 nion, the moft ufeful in the World, becaufe it's 

 fruit makes excellent food, without any art of 

 cookery, having a moft agreeable flavour, and 

 poffeffing very nutrimental qualities. It produces 

 a clufter, or aggregation, of fixty or fourfcore 

 fruit, which come to maturity all at once ; but it 

 puihes out (hoots of every degree of magnitude, 

 which bear in fucceffion, and at all*times. The 

 progreffion of fruits in the cocoa, is in the tree, 

 and that of the fruits of the banana is in the plan- 

 tation. Univerfally, that v/hich is moft ufeful, 

 is likewife moft common. 



The productions of our corn-fields and vine- 

 yards prefent difpofitions ftill more wonderful ; 

 for, though the ear of corn has feveral faces, it's 

 grains come to maturity at the fame time, from 

 the mobility of it's ftraw, which prefents them to 



A a 3 ail ., 



