Popenoe and Jiminez: The Pejibaye 



163 



its behavior in different parts of Costa 

 Rica. It is abundant in the southern 

 part of this country, and in the central 

 portion on the Atlantic side. On the 

 Pacific side it is seen occasionally in 

 the vicinity of Orotina and other towns. 

 The principal center of commercial 

 pejibaye cultivation in central Costa 

 Rica is Tucurrique, 70 miles from Port 

 Limon on the railroad leading to San 

 Jose. Here there are regular planta- 

 tions, made with the object of supply- 

 ing the markets of San Jose with fruit. 



The pejibaye is a plant adapted to 

 tropical conditions, preferring a region 

 where the rainfall is not excessive (100 

 inches annually, or less). Regarding 

 its ability to grow at varying eleva- 

 tions, it may be said that it is more 

 adaptable than the breadfruit tree. 

 The latter rarely succeeds in the 

 tropics at elevations greater than 2,500 

 feet, while the pejibaye fruits success- 

 fully in Costa Rica at all elevations 

 from sea level to 4,000 feet, and is 

 occasionally seen at 5,000 feet, though 

 it is said not to fruit well in the cool 

 climate of the latter elevation. At 

 San Jose, where the altitude is 3,800 

 feet, excellent fruits have been pro- 

 duced in the gardens of Don Jose 

 Zeledon and Don Alfredo Brade. 



The region of Tucurrique, where 

 most of the pejibayes marketed in San 

 Jose are produced, lies at an elevation 

 of approximately 3,000 feet, in the 

 valley of the Rio Reventazon, This 

 is a region of coffee, sugar cane, and 

 banana cultivation, with abundant 

 rainfall. The soil is a substantial clay 

 loam, in many places almost a pure 

 clay. 



In the banana-grownng district a few 

 miles inland from Port Limon, at an 

 elevation of about 100 feet above sea 

 level, the plant is said to be a failure 

 because of the excessive rainfall. 



It is doubtful if the species will grow 

 successfully in a cool subtropical cli- 

 mate such as that of southern Cali- 

 fornia. In extreme southern Florida, 

 however, there are probably regions 

 where it will succeed. Concerning its 



behavior in this state, we have two 

 reports. E. N. Reasoner of Oneco, 

 Manatee County, writes as follows: 



"I had Giiilielma utilis years ago, 

 two specimens 16 to 18 feet tall, which 

 I sold to Mr. Thomas A. Edison, but 

 they died from a cold wave shortly 

 after being established at Fort Myers. 

 I think it too tender for us, but it might 

 succeed in Dade County or Palm 

 Beach County." 



Professor Charles T. Simpson, of 

 Little River, Dade County, reports 

 concerning his experience with numer- 

 ous specimens: "I have tried them in 

 pots, where they do fairly well until 

 transplanted into the open ground. I 

 have planted them in pine land and 

 hammock with equally discouraging 

 results. Edward Brown had a specimen 

 in rich hammock which for a while did 

 well, and attained a height of ten or 

 twelve feet. It suckered freely, and I 

 dug under it, made an incision, and 

 placed a pot in which a fine sucker was 

 soon established. This I later cut off 

 and put in a similar position in my 

 hammock, and for a while it did well. 

 But it soon began to look badly, and 

 finally it died, after I had rooted 

 another sucker from it. I am under 

 the impression that our soil disagrees 

 with it. It ought to be tried down in 

 the Homestead country, where, al- 

 though there is lots of limestone, there 

 is also a good deal of clay and iron." 



In Cuba, Porto Rico, and the other 

 West Indian islands it should find itself 

 entirely at home, and we recommend it 

 as a culture for these islands. In many 

 parts of Brazil it should also succeed, 

 while the Asiatic tropics undoubtedly 

 offer immense regions where it could be 

 cultivated to great advantage. 



Three or four palms, grown in the 

 dooryard with practically no expense, 

 would mean the production of three or 

 four hundred pounds of excellent food 

 every year. And this would be a food 

 of delicious character, available during 

 six to eight months. With such 

 possibilities, does not the pejibaye 

 merit attention throughout the tropics? 



