THE LITCHI AND ITS RELATIVES 



313 



known in most parts of the western tropics is probably due 

 to the perishable nature of the seeds. Before the days of steam 

 navigation, it was difficult to transport them successfully from 

 one continent to another. 



"An orchard of litchis," wrote the eminent E. Bonavia of 

 India, "say of a few hundred trees, and with ordinary care, 

 would give a handsome and almost certain annual return for 

 not improbably a hundred years." 

 While it has been considered that 

 the litchi is somewhat exacting in 

 its cultural requirements, it can be 

 grown successfully in many parts 

 of the tropics and subtro^pics. Now 

 that it has been established in trop- 

 ical America, there is no reason why 

 it should not there become one of 

 the common fruits, nor why fresh 

 litchis should not be found on fruit- 

 stands of northern cities at least as 

 abundantly as are the dried ones at 



present. 



It is in the form of dried litchis, 



"litchi nuts," that North Ameri- reported, but in the best-known 



pans arp iisiiallv aprmaintpH with 

 squall L 



this fruit. The Chinese who live in 

 the United States import them in large quantities, and are 

 particularly prone to indulging in them at the time of their 

 New Year celebrations. But the dried litchi resembles the 

 fresh one even less than the dried apple of the grocery store 

 resembles a Gravenstein just picked from the tree. To appre- 

 ciate its excellence, one must taste the fresh litchi ; although a 

 fairly true estimate of it may be acquired from the canned or 

 preserved product, which much resembles preserved Muscat 

 grapes in flavor. 



FIG. 42. Fruits of a good va- 



sorts the seed is about the size 

 of the Qne here shown (X i} 



