GUAVA CULTURE. 177 



CHAPTEK XIX. 







GUAVAS AND BANANAS. 



The guava is one of those fruits which, introduced and 

 acclimated in Florida some years back, is not yet fully ap- 

 preciated at its proper commercial value. Year by year, 

 however, the guava is winning its way to the front rank 

 of Florida fruits, and it only needs the establishment of 

 guava-jelly factories to give an immense impetus to the 

 planting of this valuable fruit, the chief drawback to its 

 extended culture thus far having been its perishable na- 

 ture, its skin and general texture being much like that of 

 a pear, only that it is more juicy, and in transit this juice 

 is apt to be pressed out. 



But no energetic person, as we shall presently see, need 

 wait for the establishment of neighboring factories for 

 making jelly of the fruit he raises, for it can be made at 

 home, and the large profit therefrom accruing be placed 

 directly in his own pocket. Or, if he is so circumstanced 

 as not to be able to do this, there has lately been opened a 

 way to ship his fruit without danger of loss in transit, and 

 that is simply by drying it, just as any other fruit is dried. 

 There are small family fruit evaporators now in the market 

 that can be procured at a cost of only a few dollars, but 

 as % it is not every one who can afford even these few dol- 

 lars, or who can conveniently procure the evaporators, even 

 when the money to do so is forthcoming, we give below 

 the plan of a home-made evaporator, which can be made 

 by any one of ordinary intelligence. This will be found 

 useful, not only for guavas but for all other fruits that one 

 may wish to preserve by this method. 



Three things are requisite a hogshead ; a long, narrow 



