MISCELLANEOUS FRUITS 431 



ripe fruit of the sweet variety to contain : Total solids 8.22 per 

 cent, ash 0.42, acids 0.78, protein 0.71, total sugars 3.40, fat 

 0.75, and fiber 1.23. 



In its climatic requirements the tree may be considered 

 tropical. It withstands very little frost and when young is 

 injured by temperatures above the freezing-point. It prefers 

 a warm moist climate and a deep rich soil, but it can be grown 

 successfully on sandy soils and heavy clays, and in northern 

 India it thrives where the climate is dry. Cold is the limit- 

 ing factor in California and Florida ; in the latter state it may 

 succeed from Palm Beach southwards, but plants have often 

 failed to grow at Miami. When young the carambola is deli- 

 cate and requires careful attention. 



Safford states that the tree is long-lived and a constant 

 bearer, producing, in Guam, several crops a year. Father 

 Tavares writes of its behavior in Brazil : " During the entire 

 year it loads itself with successive crops of flowers and fruits, 

 except for a short period when it is devoid of foliage." 



Propagation is readily effected by means of seeds, and P. J. 

 Wester has shown that budding is successful. He states that 

 budwood should be beyond the tender stage, but not so old 

 that it is brittle. It should not be used if the petioles have 

 fallen. The buds should be cut an inch in length, and inserted 

 in inverted T-incisions, the operation of budding being essen- 

 tially the same as with the avocado. 



No horticultural varieties of the carambola are yet estab- 

 lished. Sweet and sour seedling forms are sometimes recognized. 



THE BILIMBI 

 (Averrhoa Bilimbi, L.) 



Like its congener the carambola, this tree is probably a 

 native of the Malayan region, but it is known only as a culti- 

 vated species. The fruit is too highly acid to be eaten out of 



