220 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



experienced in transplanting during the rainy season. 

 The seed from the best fruits only should be sown. These 

 may be sown in rows several feet apart and several inches 

 apart in the row. 



BREAD-FRUIT 



The seedless variety of this tree of the Pacific Islands 

 would seem to provide a vegetable which, in all but one 

 particular, fulfills the ideal of the ordinary tropical native ; 

 that is, to have a food plant which only requires the two 

 operations of planting and gathering. Unfortunately, 

 however, for the inactive basker in the sun, the bread-fruit 

 yields its crop only in the late summer and early fall, and 

 its fruits cannot readily be kept through the remainder 

 of the year, although in some islands they are sliced and 

 dried over the fire to be stored like biscuits. 



The value of the bread-fruit has been over-rated. No 

 wonder that when the adventurous English captain first 

 came to Hawaii he should admire a vegetable which kept 

 alive a swarming native population, and afforded him 

 and his seamen an agreeable change from the wormy ship- 

 biscuit of those old times ! Although the bread-fruit 

 might keep savage tribes from starvation, yet when 

 it was introduced into the West Indies, and extensively 

 propagated there, it was not found to be as digestible and 

 nourishing as food which, like yams, cassava, or sweet 

 potatoes, requires more labor to raise. Nevertheless 

 the bread-fruit on the very numerous trees in the Lesser 

 Antilles appears to be appreciated by the negroes, for it 

 is difficult to find one fruit left to ripen out of the abun- 

 dant crops produced each year. Sliced boiled bread-fruit 



