956 THE POMEGRANATE. 



McLaughlin. Table and market. 



Pond's Seedling (English). Market and market. 



Prince Engelbert. Table and market. 



Prince's Yellow Gage. Table and market. 



Prune d'Agen. Table and market. 



Purple Favorite. Table. 



Smith's Orleans. Table and market. 



Transparent Gage. Table arid market. 



Washington. Table and market. 



Yellow Egg. Market and cooking. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE POMEGRANATE. 



Punica granatum, L. ; Granatacea, of Botanists. 



Grenadier, of the French ; Granatenbaum, German ; Melagrano, 



Italian ; Granado, Spanish. 



THIS unique fruit, the most singularly beautiful one that ever appears 

 at the dessert, is a native of China and the South of Europe. It grows 

 and bears very readily in this country, as far north as Maryland and the 

 Ohio River, though the fruit does not always mature well north of 

 Carolina, except in sheltered places. It is even hardy enough to stand 

 the winter here, and will bear very good fruit if trained as an espalier 

 and protected in winter. 



The fruit is as large as an apple. Its skin is hard and leathery, of 

 a yellowish orange color, with a rich red cheek. It is crowned in a 

 peculiar manner with the large calyx, which remains and increases in 

 size after the flower has fallen. There is a pretty bit of mythological 

 history told by Rapin, the French poet, respecting this fruit. Bacchus 

 once beguiled a lovely Scythian girl, whose head had been previously 

 turned by the diviners having prophesied that she would some day wear 

 a crown, and who therefore lent a willing ear to his suit. The fickle 

 god, however, not long after abandoned her, when she soon died of 

 grief. Touched at last, he metamorphosed her into a pomegranate-tree, 

 and placed on the summit of its fruit the crown (calyx) which he had 

 denied to his mistress while living. 



The fruit of the common Pomegranate is acid, but the cultivated 

 variety bears fruit of very agreeable, sweet flavor. The interior of the 

 fruit consists of seeds enveloped in pulp, much like those of the goose- 

 berry, but arranged in compartments, and of the size and color of red 

 currants. Medicinally, it is cooling and much esteemed, like the orange, 

 in fevers and inflammatory disorders. 



The tree is of low growth, from twelve to twenty feet, with nume- 

 rous slender, twiggy branches, and is very ornamental in garden scenery, 

 either when clad with its fine scarlet flowers or decked with fruit, 

 which hangs arid grows all summer, and does not ripen till pretty late 

 in the season. It is well worthy of a choice sheltered place at the 



