FROM PANAMA TO LIMA. 425 



from fifteen tn twenty mil at. An abundant supply of fruit* and vegetables U brought 



mi the bucks of mules or Indians, and, in spite of intervening barriera, m Hold tit reasona- 

 ble prices. Potatoes (Irish and sweet;, pumpkins, cabbages, yuccas (a long fusiform root), 

 beans in profusion, and many other Burden vegetables, are of excellent llavor and >ize. 



The principal fruits arc plantains, cherimoyas, oranges, lemons (sweet and sour), melons, 

 palta ranates, granadillas, and many others of inter-tropical growth, t>csides app 



peaches, pears, &C. 



The potatoes of Peru are of a remarkably fine quality, and a yellow variety that is grown in 

 the mountain regions are far superior to anything produced in Nova Scotia .r the K me raid isle. 

 i:\.ry effort to introduce them elsewhere has proved abortive, as they degenerate after the first 

 cr<.p. The sweet potatoes, called camote,*are also of two colors white and purple-skinned. 

 Preference is given to the former. They have more saccharine matter than the yellow variety of 

 the United States, but are not so mealy. When properly cooked, yuccas are valuable substitutes 

 for the Irish potato, to which they are not wholly dissimilar in taste. They are often a foot or 

 more in length, and two or three inches in diameter. The Lima beans are famed throughout 

 the world. Few eat of the cheriinoya without declaring it the most exquisite of all fruits. 

 It is the product of a delicate tree (Anona cherimolia), that attains to a height of fifteen to 

 twenty feet, and is almost as many years in coming to perfection. The leaves are oval and 

 pointed at both ends ; its flowers, small, of white color, and very fragrant, are solitary ; and the 

 fruit, of a heart-shape, grows from two to five inches in diameter. When ripe, externally it ia 

 of a brownish green, covered with small knobs and scales, and often has black lines like net- 

 work spread over it. The skin is tough, but not very thick. Internally the pulp is of a creamy 

 white, with a number of dark brown or black seeds ranged round a small central core. Some 

 have likened the exquisitely luscious flavor of the pulp to that of strawberries and cream, but 

 it is comparable with nothing else. There are two or three varieties of the tree, differing in their 

 magnitude, the size of the fruit, and number of seeds. Those of Huanuco and the valley of 

 Azapa are considered better than those of Piura. 



The palta, sometimes called aguacate, and by foreigners <e alligator pear," is the fruit of the 

 Persea gatissima, Gart. a slender and very tall tree, sometimes fifty feet in height. It is 

 nearly as large as the egg of a goose, but pear-shaped. . The rind is tough, but not thick, and 

 of a brownish-green color. In the centre is a heart-shaped stone or kernel about an inch in 

 diameter, between which and the rind there is a greenish saffron-colored pulp that dissolves on 

 the tongue like marrow. Its taste is peculiar, and at first is not generally agreeable to a foreigner; 

 but, with a little pepper and salt, it acquires favor with great rapidity, and many prefer it to 

 the cherimoya. Sometimes it is dressed as a salad, with oil and vinegar; and as it is a most 

 nutritious and wholesome fruit, that does not deteriorate for some days, it is much sought after 

 by passengers in the steamers. The kernel is very astringent and bitter ; and, on being cut, a 

 juice flows which is said to leave an indelible stain. 



The granadilla is the fruit of the Passiftora quadrangularis, and is somewhat egg-shaped, 

 with a hard and rather thick reddish-yellow skin. Internally it is lined with a soft membrane, 

 containing a gray gelatinous pulp of an agreeable sub-acid taste. Its seeds are dark-colored 

 and very numerous. The pepino (a Cucurbitacea) is a more common fruit, growing in great 

 abundance on plants about a foot and a half high. It is a rather pointed oval, from three to 

 five inches long, having a yellowish green rind with purplish stripes. The edible portion is 

 solid, though juicy and well-flavored ; but it is not considered so wholesome as many other fruits, 

 and is not a favorite where there are so many better to select from. 



The Bay of Payta was discovered by Pizarro, and is the best harbor on the coast of Peru. 

 Small quantities of silver, cinchona bark, ratana, and wool being sent here for shipment, it is 

 more frequented than any other port except Callao. But American whalers, as has been said, 

 an- its great frequenters its tranquil waters permitting repairs and coopering of their oil-casks; 

 whilst the valley furnishes them supplies, and they can drive a little trade with the people on 

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