THE ILLUSTRATION HORTICOLE. 



ries are inclosed in separate, fleshy pits, formed by the 

 arrested branch or receptacle of the inflorescence (*), for- 

 merly supposed to be composed of consolidated fleshy 

 perianths. The male flowers are borne in long, cylindrical 

 catkins, usually on the same branch, though from the axils 

 of other leaves. This catkin is composed exclusively of 

 monandrous flowers, having a two-leaved perianth. It is the 

 receptacle of the inflorescence, as mentioned above, which, 

 when ripe, is as large as a child's head. The fruits are com- 

 pletely immersed in a semi-fleshy mass, and the seeds attain 

 the size of a chestnut; they are formed of two large coty- 

 ledons without albumen. The earliest account of the Bread- 

 fruit tree is by captain Dampier, the circumnavigator, in 

 1688. He says : «the Bread-fruit, as we call it, grows on a 

 large tree, as big and as high as our largest apple trees. It 

 hath a spreading head full of branches and dark leaves. The 

 fruit groAveth on the branches like apples. It is as big as a 

 penny loaf, when wheat is at 5 shillings the bushel. It is of 

 a round shape, and hath a thick, tough rind. When the 

 fruit is ripe, it is yellow and soft, and the taste is sweet and 

 pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. They gather 

 it when full grown, while it is green and hard. Then they 

 bake it in an oven which scorcheth the rind and maketh it 

 black. But they scrape of the outside black crust, and there 

 remains a tender, thin crust, and the inside is soft, tender 

 and white, like the crumb of a loaf. There is neither seed nor 

 stone, but it is all of a pure substance like bread. It must 

 be eaten new, for if it be kept above twenty-four hours it 

 groweth harsh and choky ; but it is very pleasant before it 

 is too stale, etc., etc. » 



There are two varieties of the Bread-fruit tree, the one with 

 fertile the other with sterile fruits. The first is found more 

 especially in the West-Indies, and has been introduced in- 

 to America. Its compound fruit is distinguished from the 

 barren variety by the bristly protuberances corresponding to 

 the separate ovaries. For this reason, M. Belanger thought 

 good to name it, A. seminifera. This variety is used for the 

 farinaceous matter of its receptacle: and its seeds are eaten 

 roasted. But the seedless variety is much more sought after, 

 and, if we can rely upon Dampier, it is indigenous to the 

 Malayan Islands. At all events, it is the only one that is 

 widely grown in Oceania. The abortion of the seeds permits 

 of a greater development of the amylaceous substance which 



is in the following proportion, according to an analysis by 

 M. Cuzent ( 2 ). 



Raspings of the rind 4.00 



Woody Tissue 22.22 



Fecula 17.00 



Loss 66.78 



100.00 



A preserve is made by cutting the fruits in slices and 

 drying them in an oven. In fact, this fruit can only be 

 eaten cooked, and the natives eat it witli fruit, sweet Pota- 

 toes, or fish, much as we do sliced broad, with butter. To 

 conclude, we may add that the pressed, fermented dough is 

 called Popoi. 



In the Marquesas Islands, Gambier Islands and neigh- 

 bouring groups the consumption of this fruit is very con- 

 siderable. In the Gambier Islands enormous quantities are 

 preserved in silos to keep up the supply until the succeeding 

 harvest. 



The fertile variety of this tree is propagated from seeds, 

 and also very easily from suckers, which is the only method 

 for the seedless variety. The trees commence bearing fruit 

 when six years old. In Otaheite this tree is named Uru and 

 Mai'ore, and in other islands it is called Rima. M. Cuzent 

 enumerates 15 or 20 sorts of Bread -fruit cultivated in ( Haheite 

 under different names and ]>(^m-mhli dissimilar qualities. 

 The average weight of each fruit i> from two to three pounds. 

 The heaviest seen by M. Cuzent weighed twelve pounds. 



The milky juice of the Bread-fruit tree is similar in 

 composition to caoutchouc, and may be used for some of 

 the same purposes. By making incisions in the branches 

 it is obtained in large quantities. It dissolves in terebinthine, 

 and the chemist referred to above, made a water-proof 

 varnish from it, "which, applied lint to fabrics renders them 

 impervious. „ The native women use it. associated with 

 perfumes, in dressing their hair. The soft, homogeneous wood 

 is used for various purposes, and t lu- hollowed trunks serve 

 for canoes. 



Another product of this valuable tree is the thick fibrous 

 fibre or inner bark, which is separated from the outer by 

 beating and maceration, and furnishes a natural fabric used 

 by the natives as an article of clothing. But civilisation 

 and its consequences abolish a multitude of customs and 

 usages dear to the naturalist and ethnologist. J. V. 



