Popenoe: The Jaboticaba 



325 



FRUITS OF MYRCIARIA CAULIFLORA 



The largest of the jaboticabas. The pulp is juicy and in flavor greatly resembles the 

 grape. In the markets of Rio de Janeiro such fruits sell for the equivalent of 25 

 cents a pound. Natural size. (Fig. 15.) 



their trees at times when there is a 

 scarcity of rain, succeed in having ripe 

 jaboticabas throughout the year. 



The methods used in marketing the 

 fruit are somewhat primitive. Ship- 

 ments are received in Rio de Janeiro 

 from the interior, the fruit being packed 

 in wooden boxes which originally con- 

 tained two five-gallon cans of kerosene. 

 No packing material is used, and the 

 bulk being so great there is naturally 

 much danger of the fruits being crushed 

 and bruised in handling the boxes. If 

 smaller packages were used much less 

 injury would doubtless result ; the tough 

 skin of the jaboticaba enables it to be 

 shipped considerable distances, pro- 

 vided a little care is used in packing. 

 Since good jaboticabas retail in the 

 markets of Rio de Janeiro at 1,500 reis 

 (approximately 50 cents) a kilogram, 

 there should be sufficient profit in hand- 

 ling this fruit to permit its being care- 

 fully packed and shipped in from distant 

 points. 



USES OF THE FRUIT. 



While the jaboticaba is adapted to a 

 number of different uses, at the present 



day practically all of the fruit seems to 

 be consumed in the fresh state, — quite 

 frequently direct from the tree. The 

 almost passionate fondness which the 

 Brazilians exhibit for this fruit seems 

 to prevent their considering any other 

 course than its immediate consumption 

 the moment it is ripe enough to eat. By 

 the aboriginal inhabitants of Brazil a 

 wine was made which was held in high 

 esteem. This wine is said to be made 

 in small quantities at the present time, 

 but it does not seem to rank as a com- 

 mercial product. Jelly of excellent 

 quality can also be made from the fruit. 

 Frank R. Brainard, cheje das culturas of 

 the Aprendiz^do Agricola at Barbacena, 

 Minas Geraes, has recently experi- 

 mented with this product to determine 

 the best method of manufacture, and 

 has found that the skins should be 

 removed from . about half of the fruits 

 used, in order to prevent the jelly from 

 having too strong a taste of tannin. 



While the tree is said to succeed on 

 any soil, it seems to prefer one that is 

 rich and deep. Its growth is slow, six 

 to eight years being required for it to 



