1862 



TROPICAL FRUITS 



TROPICAL FRUITS 



The fact is that tropical fruits with but few exceptions, 

 have until very recently been almost exclusively grown 

 from seed, with the natural result that variety in the 

 quality, form, size, and color of the fruit is the univer- 

 sal rule ; and although there are seedling strains of well- 

 marked types, buyers know that no reliance can in the 

 main be placed upon securing fruits of uniform quality 

 and flavor. In the case of the orange, the class of fruit 

 raised in some districts is good as a whole, but in others 

 the produce is of a low grade and even in the best dis- 

 tricts inferior fruit is allowed to develop which often 

 spoils the better samples. This is being rapidly remedied 

 by the planting of grafted kinds. The same variation ob- 

 tains with all kinds of fruit without exception. In no fruit 

 is this feature more clearly apparent than in the mango, 

 Mangifera Indica. Fig. 2589. Kinds exist which are 



2588. Flower of the Rose Apple or Jambos, one of the minor 

 Tropical Fruits. Natural size. (Seep. 557.) 



fit for the table of a king, but at the same time there 

 are fruits grown which the poorest beggar would refuse. 

 The variety is almost endless, and little dependence can 

 be placed upon quality, except those produced by trees 

 grafted from selected kinds. These are now becoming 

 more common, but as yet there are no large orchards 

 planted with selected kinds, and consequently no regu- 

 larity can as yet be expected in the quality and character 

 of the fruit available for export. The mango, like the 

 orange, easily yields to grafting; it grows rapidly and 

 there is no reason why large quantities of this excellent 

 fruit should not be placed upon the markets. The botani- 

 cal departments of the British colonies, and elsewhere, 

 have many selected kinds under cultivation and great 

 effort is being made to induce the people to plant se- 

 lected kinds, instead of the worthless seedlings. Man- 

 goes have been shipped with success from the West 

 Indies, and there would appear to be nothing of impor- 

 tance to prevent their being regularly placed upon the 

 markets of Europe and America. All that is needed is 

 to select fine strains, known both for their keeping 

 qualities and good flavor, and to grow them in quanti- 

 ties that would pay. The mango, as a rule, takes many 

 years to establish if grown from seed; but if grafted 

 plants are cultivated, fruit is obtained in four or five 



years. The Julie, Divine, No. UMartin, Malda, Gordon, 

 Peters, Pere Louis, and Mango d'Or are varieties which 

 are worthy of the table of the richest, and would be well 

 suited for extensive cultivation for purposes of export. 

 The people are slow to recognize the value of the art of 

 budding and grafting, but education in this direction is 

 rapidly extending under the auspices of: the Depart- 

 ments of Agriculture and Education in the West Indies. 



Many fruits practically unknown in northern latitudes 

 are readily available here in small quantities, but insuf- 

 ficient to maintain a paying export trade. If they were 

 grown in larger quantity and in uniform quality, there 

 is no serious obstacle to their being regularly placed upon 

 the northern market. The system of transportation now 

 in use is not thoroughly efficient, but would soon adapt 

 itself to the circumstances of a profitable trade. 



The success of the banana as an export fruit has long 

 been a recognized fact; and the trade is yearly increas- 

 ing. In this case the propagation is carried on by suck- 

 ers, and there is no variation in the quality of the pro- 

 duce; the market always gets the same quality, hence 

 the success. 



Among the best of all tropical fruits is the Mango- 

 steen,Qarcinia Mangostana, native of the Straits Settle- 

 ments. This has been fruited in Jamaica and Trinidad, 

 and the fruit has been sent in good order to the English 

 market. It is, however, slow-growing, and as yet only 

 very few trees of it are in existence in the West Indies. 

 It has grown well in Trinidad, and has produced excel- 

 lent crops of fruit of the finest flavor and there can be 

 no doubt that many of the islands in the West Indies 

 are quite capable of growing this fruit to perfection; 

 and there is no doubt that it could be carried to market 

 without serious loss in transit. 



Writings upon tropical fruits are much scattered and 

 there is as yet no book dealing solely with the subject. 

 The most important tropical fruits are detailed in the 

 order of their local value in the following list (see the 

 various entries in this Cyclopedia) : 



TROPICAL FRUITS OF THE WEST INDIES AND CENTRAL. 

 AMERICA : 



1. Banana, Musa species. Figs. 187-8. 



2. Cocoanut, Cocos nucifera. Figs. 506-7, 1497. 



3. Pineapple, Ananas sativus. Figs. 83, 1810-11. 



4. Mango, Mangifera Indica. Figs. 2589, 1360-1. 



5. Mangosteen, Garcinia Mangostana. Fig. 893. 



6. Sapodilla, Achras Sapota. Fig. 2249. 



7. Pear (Alligator Pear), Per sea gratissima. Fig. 



1724. 



8. Sugar Apple, Anona squamosa. Fig. 94. 



9. Custard Apple, Anona reticulata. 



10. Sour-sop, Anona mnricata. 



11. Governor's Plum, Flacourtia. Hamontchi. P. 



589. 



12. Akee, Cupania sapida. 



13. Cashew, Anacardium occidentale. P. 60. 



14. Guava, Psidium Qua Java. Fig. 2008. 



15. Pomme Cythere, Spondias dulcis. 



16. Granadilla, Passiflora macrocarpa. 



17. Water Lemon, Passiflora lanrifolia. 



18. Star Apple, Chrysophyllum Cainito. Fig. 469. 



19. Genip, Melicocca Mjuga. Fig. 1388. 



Of this list probably not more than half the number 

 are cultivated in selected varieties, and some are mere 

 wayside fruits, as the guava, genip and cashew. The 

 banana, cocoanut and pineapple are largely exported. 

 The mango is capable of being grown to any extent for 

 export to temperate climates. The mangosteen is a 

 fruit the cultivation of which should be largely ex- 

 tended. The sapodilla if grown from the finest selected 

 varieties is one of the choicest of tropical fruits. It is 

 tender when ripe but carries well when "full," a West- 

 Indian term for maturity. The pear (Persea) is a fruit 

 which also carries well when mature. It is what should 

 be called a salad fruit and is eaten with pepper and salt. 

 In the East it is often served with sherry and sugar as 

 fruit at dessert. 



The anonas, Nos. 8, 9 and 10, are good additions to 

 the dessert when well grown from selected kinds. The 

 last, or sour-sop, is particularly well suited for flavor- 

 ing ices, it being considered by many as the best of all 

 the fruit flavors for this purpose. It could be easily 



