THE BANANA 



found by the roadside, and which turned out to be exceedingly 

 valuable. It is by crossing or hybridizing that the most 

 extraordinary results have been obtained. Sometimes with 

 plums, the hybrids of the first generation are nearly double 

 the size of their parents. Some of the crosses are between 

 different plants. The Loganberry, for instance, is said to 

 be a cross between a Raspberry and a Bramble. It ripens 

 in July, and is said to be far in advance of either of its 

 parents as regards juiciness and acidity. 



In most cases, however, the crosses are between well- 

 established varieties or races of the same species, and both 

 hybridizing and selection are employed to get the desired 

 result. 



There are several tropical fruits which, with the possible 

 exception of wheat and oats, are more important to mankind 

 than anything else. The Breadfruit {Artocarpus incisus), 

 which is very common in the South Sea Islands, has a large 

 fruit the size of a melon. When baked in an oven heated by 

 hot stones, it forms a satisfying meal : it is rather like new 

 bread, but has very little flavour. Coarse cloth is made of 

 its bark, and the wood is used as timber. The tree also has 

 a milky juice containing indiarubber, and is employed for 

 caulking the canoes. The most interesting point for 

 botanists about this plant is that the fruit is made up of 

 thousands of little flowers, and the fleshy part is really the 

 stalk. Fossil trees of this genus (of the chalk period) are 

 found in some parts of Europe. 



Still more important to mankind is the Banana (Miisa 

 paradisiaca). It is wheat, corn, and potatoes all in one, in 

 tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is found all over the 

 world wherever there is a hot, moist climate and shelter from 

 wind. It is a most generous plant as regards the amount 



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