AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 57 



ing a purplish delicious pulp ; the black Ischia fig, a middle-sized, shortish, flat- 

 crowned, blackish fruit, having a bright pulp ; the green Ischia fig, a large, oblong, 

 globular-headed, greenish fruit, slightly stained by the pulp to a reddish-brown color; 

 the brown Ischia fig, a small, pyramidal, brownish-yellow fruit, having a purplish 

 rich pulp; the Malta fig, a small, flat-topped, brown fruit; the round brown Naples 

 fig, a globular, middle-sized, light-brown fruit, and brownish pulp ; the long, brown 

 Naples fig, a long, dark brown fruit, having a reddish pulp; the great blue fig, a 

 large blue fruit, having a fine red pulp; the black Genoa fig, a large pear-shaped, 

 black-colored fruit, with a bright-red pulp. It may be propagated either by suckers 

 arising from routs, by layers, or by cuttings. The suckers are to be taken off as low 

 down as possible ; trim off any ragged part at bottom, leaving the top entire, espe- 

 cially if for standards, and plant them in nursery lines at two or three feet distance, 

 or they may at once be planted where they are to remain. 



The best season for propagating these trees by layers is in anturnn ; 

 but it may be also done any time from October to March or April. 

 Choose the young pliable lower shoots from the fruitful branches ; lay 

 them in the usual way, covering the body of the layers 3 or 4 inches 

 deep in the ground, keeping the top entire, and as upright as possible ; 

 and they will be rooted and fit to separate from the parent in autumn, 

 when they may be planted either in the nursery or where they are to 

 remain. The time for propagating by cuttings is either at the iall of 

 the leaf or in February. Choose well-ripened shoots of the preceding 

 summer, short and of robust growth, from about twelve to fifteen 

 inches long, having an inch or two of the two years' wood at their base, 

 the tips left entire ; plant them six or eight inches deep, in a bed or bor- 

 der of good earth, in rows two feet asunder. 



GUAIAVA. 



The name guaiava (Psidium guaiava) is a corruption of the Spanish 

 word yuayaba. Of this fruit there are seventeen different species. It 

 is an evergreen tree or shrub, and indigenous to Brazil, Spanish Amer- 

 ica, and the West Indies. It is propagated by cuttings and seed, and is 

 sometimes liable to injury from severe frosts north of 28 north lati- 

 tude, but south of that line it is ever-bearing, yielding its delicious, 

 aromatic, and wholesome fruit all the year round. Only three or four 

 varieties are known and cultivated in Florida. 



In the island of Cuba and in Brazil the varieties produced are more 

 numerous, and large quantities of the fruit are made into jellies for ex- 

 portation to all par.ts of the world. The fruit of the common guaiava 

 is pear-shaped, of the size of a large hen's egg, and sometimes larger^ 

 and has a smooth, pale-yellow skin, inclosing a many-seeded pulp of deli- 

 cious acidity. In some varieties the pulp is of a light-cream, and others a 

 pale-reddish color. This fruit is greatly esteemed wherever known, and, 

 being slightly astringent, as well as mucilaginous, is very beneficial in 

 bowel complaints. The roots and leaves are also astringent, and are 

 regarded as excellent for strengthening the stomach and bowels. The 

 plant is propagated by seeds, cuttings, and suckers. 



