132 



The Journal ot Heredity 



CROSS SECTION OF BREADFRUIT 



This fruit is the staff of life of the people among whom it is found. Its importance is indicated 

 by the great number of varieties recognized by the natives, each of which has a special name. In 

 addition to using it fresh the South Sea Islanders have developed a method by which the bread- 

 fruit can be preserved for years in what they consider an edible condition. It is placed in pits 

 lined with leaves, and allowed to ferment, somewhat like ensilage or saurkraut. This "kraut" is 

 baked into cakes, relished by the natives, but looked upon by Europeans much as the islanders 

 look upon our cheese. (Fig. 19.) 



yield are not obtainable, but it is 

 conservatively estimated that a hectare 

 will yield not less than 25 metric tons 

 of fruit per annum. 



Analyses made in Hawaii indicate 

 that 84 percent of this amount is 

 edible, and that it contains approxi- 

 mately 14.5 percent sugar, 9.2 per- 

 cent carbohydrates other than sugar, 

 and 0.5 percent fat — about the same 

 analysis as the banana except that the 

 waste in the latter is 13.5 percent 

 greater. It is not to be wondered at 

 that the breiidfruit became the staff of 

 life of the people among whom it 

 originated. 



Notwithstanding its evident value as 

 a foodstuff and the enthusiastic reports 

 of the early voyagers, the extraordinary 



fact remains that there has been no 

 systematic attempt to study it com- 

 prehensively. This is not due to lack 

 of knowledge that the breadfruit occurs 

 in numerous distinct varieties, for this 

 has been known for many years. 

 Besides having economic value, a com- 

 parative study of these various forms 

 occurring throughout Oceania would 

 be important in that it might furnish 

 new evidence relative to the migrations 

 of the Polynesians. If it were found, 

 for instance, that varieties growing in 

 the Fijis, the Marquesas, and the 

 Carolines were identical, this would be 

 strong evidence that they had been 

 carried from a common center of dis- 

 tribution. 



