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white fibrous pulp, becoming succulent at maturity, when it is rich 

 in starch. Eaten boiled or baked, it tastes of dough, with a 

 pleasant nutty flavour, and is very sustaining. Like the plants of 

 the same family, the breadfruit tree exudes, when freshly wounded, 

 a sticky latex which is as strong as bird-lime. The breadfruit 

 would, I dare say, thrive in the Kimberleys and the more tropical 

 regions of this State. It is propagated from root-cuttings, which 

 readily sprout, and from which shoots can be detached with a heel 

 attached. In tropical West Africa another tree belonging to the 

 same natural order exists. It is chiefly grown for the sake of its 

 seeds which, roasted or boiled, taste somewhat like chestnuts. 



BULLOCK'S HEART (Anona reticulata.') 



One of the " Custard Apples," constituting a fine evergreen 

 tree 30 to 35 feet high. 



It grows readily from seed. The fruit is larger than a pear, 

 and its shape has won it its name ; in colour it is a brown chestnut. 

 The pulp inside is eaten with a spoon, and is much liked. In the 

 tropics the tree is vigorous and prolific. The fruit should be 

 picked when hard, and ripens a week or 10 days after gathering. 



The illustration is from L' Agriculture pratique des pays Chauds. 



CUSTARD APPLE, syn. CHERIMOYER (Anona cherimolicC) . 



A native of Peru. The tree, which grows 10 to 12 feet 

 high, requires rich, moist soil, in a well sheltered place. The leaves 

 are oval, the flowers very fragrant and solitary, the fruit globular 

 or heart-shaped, three or four inches in diameter, greyish -green, 

 turning to brown when ripe. The flesh, in which some 30 or 

 40 hard brown seeds are embedded, is much relished, the fruit 

 being eaten when soft and yielding to the touch. For marketing it 

 needs gathering when hard, a week or so before eating. 



Two other custard apples the SOUR SOP (syn. Corossol), A. 

 muricata, and the SWEET SOP, A. sguamosa are trees of the same 

 family, which are grown in the tropics and valued for their fruit. 



THE DATE PALM (Phoenix dactylifera). 



As its name implies, the Date belongs to the Palm family, to 

 which also belong the cocoanut and other palms. Unlike these, it 

 throws, when young, offshoots or suckers (" djebars," in Arabic) at 

 the base of its stem. Later on, when the tree is in full bearing, it 

 ceases to throw suckers. The stem of the tree grows from a terminal 

 bud, and remains of the same diameter all through its existence. The 

 leaves, which are feather-shaped, measure 10 to 15 feet in length, 

 and are persistent. The tree is diceceous, its staminate (male) and 

 pistillate (female) flowers appearing on separate individuals. If 

 grown from seed, about half the number of resulting palms are 

 male, and about half female. In cultivation however, this number 



