VM) USEFUL PLANTS OF CJUAM. 



I'ajn'r, j»ro\vinp lu'twcMMi tlic tree and the bark" \va« tliat of the lireadfruit, though 

 it may iH>ssihly liave heeii that of the minu, or banyan. 



I?t'si(lt'y using the latex in calking boats, tiie natives of (Juam find it, when fresh 

 and viscid, an excellent medium for ndxing paint, and it is a good sizing for white- 

 wasli. Tht' usual pigments were a red ferruginous earth and lampblack made by 

 binning cocoanut shells. The ('arolinc Islanders .«till use it with various jugments for 

 ]>ainting their canoes, and it resists the action of water ])retty well, though fortius 

 purpose it is inferior to oil. 



The woo(l is of fine yellow color. It is not very hard, hut it has the virtue of 

 resisting the white ant, and if kept dry it is durable. In Guam it is used for cuj)- 

 l)oards, shelving, furniture, and for ])artitions between rooms. It is also used for 

 canoes, but as these are not well cared for by the natives and moisture injures the 

 wood, they do not last very long. In Samoa the framework of the roofs of all the 

 l)est houses is made of the curved lind)s of the breadfruit, beautifully rounded and 

 scarped together and wrapped at the joints with coconut sennit. 



JhigdiKj, the "breadnut," or seeded variety of the breadfruit, grows everywhere 

 in Guam — in the woods, on rockj' cliffs, and in low, sandy soil. It is the chief source 

 of tind)er and of gum, the seedless lemae being too valuable as a fruit tree to be used 

 generally for these articles. The fruit of the dugdug is inferior to that of the lemae, 

 than which it is softer and more sweetish. It is seldom eaten, but its seeds, called 

 "nangka" (the name in the Philipj)ines lor Artocarpns integri folia, the "jack-fruit"), 

 are rich in oil and are relished by the natives Tiiey are eaten roasted or boiled and 

 are mucli like chestnuts. 



Lemae, being sterile, is propagated from the shoots which spring up around the 

 base of the trunk. They readily take root. The dugdug is grown from the seed, 

 though it occurs in such abundance on the island that it is not much planted. There 

 are a number of varieties of breadfruit recognized by the natives. The species grows 

 so readily that it might prove profitable to plant it for the manufacture of starch or 

 "arrowroot" from the fruit. 



Horses and cattle are very fond of the leaves and bark, so that young trees nuist 

 be protected from them. When pasture is scarce breadfruit leaves are gathered and 

 fed to stock; and the fruit is so abundant that it is fed to cattle, horses, and pigs. 



The breailfruit season begins in June aiid lasts for about five months. This accounts 

 for the fact that Pigafetta and several other early navigators who visited Guam 

 during the time of the year when it was out of season fail to mention it among the 

 fruits which they obtained from the islanders. Magellan visited the island in March, 

 Legaspi in January, and the Nassau fleet also in January. In the narrative of the 

 latter expedition the cultivation of rice is mentioned (see quotation under Onjza 

 saliva), and a food staple so important as breadfruit would surely have been men- 

 tioned had it come within the notice of the Dutch. 



The first to record the l)reailfruit as a food staple of the ^larianne Islands was 

 Dampier, who has given the following accurate descrijjtion of it in his New Voyage 

 Round the World : 



The Bread-fruit (as we call it) grows on a large Tree, as big and as high as our 

 largest Ap{)le-Trees. It hath a spreading head full of branches, and dark leaves. 

 The fruit grows on the boughs like Apples: It is as big as a Penny-loaf, when Wheat 

 is at-five shillings the Bushel. It is of a round shape, and hath a thick tough rind. 

 When the fruit is ripe, it is yellow and soft; and the taste is sweet and pleasant. 

 The Natives of this Island use it for Bread: they gather it when full grown, while it 

 is greeii and hard; then they bake it in an Oven, which scorcheth the rind and 

 makes it black: but they scrape off the outside black crust, and there remains a ten- 

 der thin crust, and the inside is soft, tender and white, like the crunil) of a Penny 

 I.oaf. There is neither seed nor stone in the inside, but all is of a pure substance 

 like Bread: it nuist be eaten new, for if it is kept above 24 hours, it becomes dry, 

 and eats harsh and choaky; but 'tis very i)l(>asant before it is too stale. This fruit 

 lasts in season 8 months in the year; during which time the Natives eat no other 



