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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  climates 
  thrive. 
  Irish 
  potatoes 
  are 
  not 
  used 
  extensively 
  by 
  the 
  

   common 
  people 
  of 
  Central 
  America, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  grown 
  on 
  the 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  the 
  volcanoes. 
  Most 
  of 
  those 
  produced 
  are 
  scarcely 
  larger 
  

   than 
  walnuts. 
  

  

  FRUITS. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  fruits 
  that 
  tropical 
  countries 
  surpass 
  tem- 
  

   perate 
  regions, 
  although 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  confessed 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  we 
  have 
  available 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  the 
  tropical 
  fruits. 
  In 
  all 
  our 
  

   markets 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  obtain 
  cheaply 
  the 
  orange, 
  grapefruit, 
  pine- 
  

   apple, 
  and 
  banana, 
  and 
  with 
  these 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  finest 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   American 
  tropical 
  fruits, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  avocado 
  and 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  the 
  mango. 
  There 
  are 
  dozens 
  of 
  others 
  that 
  are 
  grown 
  in 
  

   the 
  Tropics, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  they 
  would 
  ever 
  become 
  pop- 
  

   ular 
  in 
  competition 
  with 
  the 
  best 
  fruits 
  of 
  temperate 
  regions, 
  no 
  

   matter 
  how 
  abundant 
  they 
  might 
  be. 
  The 
  most 
  marked 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  majority 
  of 
  tropical 
  fruits 
  is 
  sweetness, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  

   no 
  other 
  merit. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  Central 
  America 
  to 
  hear 
  the 
  

   remark 
  made 
  that 
  such 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  fruit 
  is 
  very 
  good 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  

   sweet. 
  

  

  The 
  mango 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  favorite 
  fruit 
  in 
  Salvador 
  and 
  is 
  

   grown 
  everywhere. 
  It' 
  is 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  need 
  description, 
  the 
  

   turpentine 
  flavor 
  and 
  superabundance 
  of 
  fiber 
  in 
  the 
  inferior 
  vari- 
  

   eties 
  being 
  matters 
  of 
  rather 
  general 
  knowledge. 
  The 
  best 
  mangoes 
  

   are 
  really 
  very 
  good, 
  competing 
  in 
  quality 
  with 
  peaches, 
  which 
  they 
  

   distantly 
  resemble. 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  working 
  people 
  say 
  in 
  Salvador 
  

   that 
  when 
  mangoes 
  were 
  in 
  season 
  they 
  never 
  had 
  to 
  spend 
  a 
  cent 
  for 
  

   food, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  enormous 
  quantities 
  are 
  consumed. 
  

   Avocados 
  are 
  grown 
  commonly, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  scarcely 
  equal 
  to 
  those 
  

   of 
  Guatemala. 
  Numerous 
  kinds 
  of 
  anonas, 
  soursops, 
  and 
  custard 
  

   apples 
  are 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  the 
  country 
  has 
  the 
  distinction 
  of 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  of 
  these, 
  the 
  white 
  anona 
  (Annona 
  hetero- 
  

   phytta), 
  a 
  variety 
  known 
  only 
  from 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  Guatemala. 
  

   Salvador 
  produces 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  excellent 
  oranges, 
  similar 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  Florida 
  but 
  much 
  sweeter. 
  Pineapples, 
  often 
  of 
  exceptional 
  

   size, 
  are 
  common, 
  also 
  limes, 
  pawpaws, 
  sapotes, 
  sapodillas, 
  and 
  

   mameyes. 
  There 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  unlimited 
  list 
  of 
  minor 
  fruits, 
  most 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  unknown 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  sunzapote 
  

   (Licania 
  platypus), 
  a 
  large 
  yellow-fleshed 
  fruit 
  of 
  little 
  merit; 
  the 
  

   mar 
  anon 
  or 
  cashew 
  fruit 
  (Anacardium 
  occidentale) 
  , 
  whose 
  seeds 
  are 
  

   roasted 
  and 
  used 
  like 
  almonds, 
  while 
  the 
  fleshy 
  stalk 
  beneath 
  the 
  

   seed 
  is 
  eaten 
  as 
  a 
  dessert 
  fruit; 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  granadillas, 
  the 
  

   fruits 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  passion- 
  vines 
  (Pass/flora) 
  ; 
  the 
  icaeo 
  (Chryso- 
  

   oalanus 
  icaco), 
  a 
  flavorless 
  white-fleshed 
  black-skinned 
  fruit; 
  the 
  

   aceituno 
  (Simaruba 
  glauca), 
  which 
  is 
  equally 
  flavorless, 
  and 
  re- 
  

  

  