l8 9 1 -] A Visit to the West Indies. 137 



with which baskets and other ornamental articles are made. 

 At first sight one would hardly think that the hard bean-like 

 seeds belonged to a grass. 



In the forest we saw many trees whose names were fami- 

 liar. Among them was the mahogany, 19 a majestic tree with 

 globular woody fruit and abruptly pinnate leaves; and the log- 

 wood, 20 a small, leguminous tree, bearing at that season an 

 abundance of flowers and fruit, and extensively naturalized in 

 Jamaica. Large quantities of its wood and also of fustic 21 are 

 exported for extracting the dye. As it is very bulky it would 

 seem more economical to extract the dye on the island. 



The trumpet tree, 22 rather common and quite conspicuous 

 from its large leaves whitened beneath and clustered at the 

 ends of the long branches, is quite useful on account of the 

 fiber obtained from the inner bark. Out of this is made a very 

 durable cordage; also whips by peeling back the bark, cutting 

 off the inner wood except enough for a handle, and plaiting 

 the fiber into a lash. 



In the dense woods grows the cacoon, 23 a high-climbing 

 leguminous vine bearing an immense pod as much as three or 

 four feet long which contains the large sea-beans often washed 



up by the sea on sandy beaches 



M 



but these in time are strangled to death and rot away leaving 

 the ungrateful vines as huge spirals, capable of bearing their 

 own weight, having destroyed the ladders by which they 

 mounted to their success. 

 lb I^iow mention a few of the more important fruits. Of the 

 / Anonaceae there are the sugar apple, 24 about the size of an 

 orange and green, the one-seeded carpids composing it being 

 easily separated from each other; the custard apple " of about 

 the same size but with the surface smooth and light brown; 

 the sour sap, 26 larger, ovoid with the green surface weak- 

 prickly; and the cherimoya 27 (Jeremiah, as the natives pro- 

 nounce it), about the size of the foregoing, but with the 



Swietenia Mahogoni. (Meliac.) 



19 



* Haematoxylon Campechianum. (Legum.) 

 Madura tinctoria. (Urtic.) 



2 



J Cecropia peltata. (Urtic. ) 

 ' Entada scandens. (Legum.) 



* 4 RolliniaSieberi. 



* 5 Anona reticulata. 



s * Anona squamosa. 



J7 Anona Cherimolia. 



