ch. xv.] Melons and Pomoloes. 319 



fruited guava, they are not esteemed of much account in 

 a country so rich in realty delicious lands. 



The sweet melons grown in Borneo are very poor 

 indeed, but good water-melons may now and then be 

 obtained, and are cool and refreshing in such a hot 

 climate. All the members of the orange family do well, 

 especially the delicious little lime, which is perfectly 

 naturalised in many places, being with the dwarf bamboo 

 one of the plants most commonly used for hedges. No 

 cooling drink can possibly surpass that formed by mixing 

 the juice of one of these deliciously perfumed limes in a 

 tumbler of water with a little sugar, and as they keep 

 well they are most valuable to the traveller in hot 

 countries. Common oranges may be procured all the 

 year round from gardens, as also may the small fruited 

 "mandarin" variety, which is a near approach to the 

 tangierine orange, now and then to be had in Covent 

 Garden. It is rather a surprise to find that the oranges 

 cultivated in the tropics have grass-green skins when 

 perfectly ripe, the vivid "orange" fruit so familiar at 

 home being there almost as great a rarity as a grass- 

 green specimen to us in England. 



Of all the orange tribe in the East, however, none can 

 compare with the great-fruited pomolo, which under care- 

 ful cultivation here attains to a state of perfection else- 

 where unknown. The pomoloes, or shaddocks, brought 

 to Covent Garden from the West Indian Islands and the 

 Azores, are flavourless as a turnip when compared with 

 the pomoloes of Bangkok or Labuan, or even with those 

 of Northern China or Singapore. There are many varie- 

 ties, differing much in aroma and flavour, but all are re- 

 ferable to the lemon-fleshed or pink-fleshed types ; it is 

 extremely difficult, however, to say which type affords 

 the best variety. A well-grown pomolo is nearly as large 



