CHAP. IT. DESSERT FRUITS. 187 



own pulp. Fix over the young shoot, immediately upon its 

 appearing above ground, a narrow hollow pipe, made by the 

 union of the two halves of a bamboo that has been split in two, 

 in order to remove the enclosures at the knots, and tied 

 together again with string. This bamboo-pipe must be about 

 three or four feet high. The Jack will soon ascend the pipe, 

 and make its appearance at the summit. When it does so, 

 remove the halves of the bamboo. Lay the young shoot, which 

 will be found perfectly supple and pliant, upon the Aground, 

 and twist it into the form of a spiral coil, with the crown of the 

 root for its centre. Cover this coil well over with earth, leav- 

 ing the end of the shoot to project from the ground. The 

 plant thus treated will grow in about five years' time into a 

 tree, the spiral portion of it below ground enlarging corre- 

 spondingly at the same time. Upon this spiral the fruit will 

 uniformly be produced, and of the finest quality and largest 

 size. 



Artocarpus incicus. 



BEEAD-FKUIT. 



A handsome tree, with very large, polished, dark-green, slashed 

 leaves, a native of the South Sea Islands, Moluccas, and Java. 

 The fruit is of an oval form, and of the size of a large Melon, 

 and in general appearance much resembles the Jack-Fruit. It 

 is, however, perfectly scentless. Its exterior is not muricated, 

 but is marked with reticulations, with slightly prominent areolae. 

 It is without seeds, and when roasted is said to resemble the 

 crumb of a new loaf. I have bought specimens in the bazar at 

 Point de Galle in Ceylon. These, when sliced and fried, seemed 

 to me, as well as to all who partook of them, to be hardly dis- 

 tinguishable from an excellent batter pudding. Fruit of a large 

 size is said to be produced in Bombay, and in some parts of the 

 Deccan, as well as in the Straits, but the fruit is quite unknown 

 in the Bengal Presidency. 



BREAD-NUT. 



A variety of the above, which produces fruit containing seed, 

 with the exterior split into deep lobes, and covered over with 

 the sharp-pointed tops of the calyces. Lofty trees of this variety 

 are growing in the Calcutta Botanical Gardens, introduced, 



