95 



generally left to nature to grow or die. If the shad- 

 dock and lemon are not indigenous to Fiji, it is diffi- 

 cult to say when, or hy whom they were introduced. 

 Large trees of the former, with trunks from a foot to 

 18 inches in diameter, may be seen in all parts of 

 Fiji, even in the centres of supposed virgin forests. 

 Although lemons and limes abound in Fiji, no lime 

 juice is made, but the abundance of the raw material 

 suggests the making of that commodity largely and 

 cheaply. 



The daiva (nephelium pinnatum), is a kind of 

 litchi, but its fruit is inferior in quality to that of the 

 latter. When ripe it is about the size of a pigeon's 

 egg, not unlike it in shape, of a yellowish green 

 colour, and covered with soft fleshy spines. The taste 

 is flat, sweet, but not unpleasant. The aril, sur- 

 rounding the seed and lying between it and the 

 skin, is the part eaten. In some varieties this part 

 is about three-eighths of an inch in thickness. It 

 is soft and glutinous, and has a pale yellow semi- 

 transparent colour. There are many varieties of the 

 tree, and good hopes may be entertained that the 

 quality of the fruit will be improved by careful cul- 

 tivation. The fruit of some varieties of the clawa is 

 nearly twice the size of the litchi ; and a fruit bearing 

 variety, combining the size of the daiva with the 

 flavour of the litchi, would be an important addition 

 to tropical fruit. Owing to the seeds germinating 

 readily wherever dropped, forests of the daiva may be 

 seen in many parts of Fiji, — most commonly on land 

 that has once been cultivated. The reason for this 

 is that the growth of these young trees has not been 

 prevented by that of other trees previously established 

 on the soil. 



