MAT 15. 1915 



429 



middle of April, and were making new 

 L'iUbS or slabs about as rapidly as the 

 others. The Burbaiik ronipany claim thai 

 the t'ruit-beariiig- cactus is a dift'erent va- 

 riety from that which bears just slabs for 

 feeding domestic animals. But the Govern- 

 ment bulletin in regard to the spineless 

 cactus seems to insist that they are all 

 fruit-bearing, more or less; and now a nur- 

 seryman in the northern part of Florida 

 says he has ten different kinds, some partly 

 fruit-bearing and some not. The prices are 

 from CO cents a leaf up to $5 a leaf. No- 

 body soils cactus plants. They sell only the 

 leaves, which they call "slabs." Well, as 

 it seems to devolve on me to test these won- 

 derful novelties (?) I sent for a 60-eent 

 slab, and also for one of the fruit-bearing 

 slabs, which cost $1.75. Now, I did not 

 pay $1.75 for a plant, mind you. I paid 

 the money for only a single leaf, and not 

 a very large leaf at that. Why should any- 

 bod}' pay $5 for just one leaf from a plant, 

 do you ask? Well, this plant (so he says) 

 bears fruit as large as oranges, and more 

 delicious; and the vender of this spineless 

 cactus tells a story about a doctor in Jack- 

 sonville who purchased one slab, and in 

 just ten months it had produced 47 slabs 

 like the original. The Jacksonville Times- 

 Union gives a picture of the plant with its 

 47 slabs or leaves. Judging from the 

 rapidity with which spineless cactus grows 

 in my Florida garden I can readily believe 

 the thing is possible. Years ago while wan- 

 dering in a thicket in Osprey — the island 

 where I had my bees — -I found a single 

 cactus plant that gave me a little pailful of 

 very nice fruit. I have not seen any of 

 the large fruit; but my friend Borcher, 

 whom I have mentioned, when sending me 

 the cactus slabs sent me also some cakes of 

 a confection made from the juice of the 

 cactus fruit ; and at my request he investi- 

 gated in regard to this confection, and he 

 says it is made from the juice alone of the 

 cactus fruit without any sugar whatever 

 being added. It makes a very nice substi- 

 tute for a chocolate candy. When you 

 come around to visit me and to go through 

 my Florida garden I will give you a taste 

 of the cactus confection, even if I should 

 not have some fruit to treat my friends and 

 visitors. 



Speaking about fniit, let me refer again 

 to that tree I have mentioned, the papaya. 

 It gave us five beautiful fruits during the 

 past winter. The largest was 22 inches 

 round and 18 inches long. It looked like 

 a huge watermelon before it turned yellow. 

 It was big enough so that we had all we 

 could use ourselves for several days, besides 



giving some to the neighbors and the visit- 

 ors who hapi)ened along about that time. 

 Reference to this ti'ee will be found on page 

 '298, April 1. We saved the seed from this 

 "big melon;" and if you will mention it 

 when writing us I will send you a few to 

 test. Of course the tree will not stand 

 frost. I have grown them here in Ohio by 

 starting the seeds in the greenhouse, almost 

 as high as my head, but they did not bear 

 any fruit. 



PAPAYA CARRISSA, THE TREE THAT BEARS MUSK- 

 MELONS." 



One of our visitors, a beekeeper, had a 

 small kodak with him; and although it was 

 a windy day he succeeded in getting the 

 picture above. The boxes standing near 

 the trunk were to support the largest fruit. 

 To prevent abrasion when the wind blew I 

 placed a folded cloth on the scaffolding to 

 support the fruit. See description, page 

 298, April 1. 



Speaking of seeds reminds me that I owe 

 some of you an apology. You will remem- 

 ber what I have said about the Burbank 

 Rainbow corn. We took some of the corn 

 down to Florida and planted a row. To 

 my surprise only about half of the stalks 

 in the row showed the rainbow colors and 

 variegation. Then I remembered that our 

 roAv of Rainbow corn here in Ohio was but 

 a little way off from our other sweet corn, 

 and the bees had produced cross-fertiliza- 

 tion ; so the seeds we have been sending to 



