200 



FRUIT CULTURE 



in a wild state at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet. It bears 

 in great abundance a perfectly smooth oval fruit, of the size 

 of a hen's egg, purple when ripe. Two crops a year are some- 

 times produced, the principal season being from May to July. 

 The fruit contains in its hollow centre a quantity of fragrant 

 sweet juicy pulp, inseparable from which are the small seeds ; 

 this when emptied out of the shell, and beaten up in a glass 

 with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda and sugar, forms a delicious 

 drink. The fruit is sold locally at about Re. 1 (Is. 4J.) per 



CAPE GOOSEBERRY. PkySaltS 



hundred. Consignments of the fruit are occasionally exported 

 from Australia and elsewhere to London, and these usually 

 secure fancy prices, but the shrivelled appearance which the 

 fruit assumes on ripening is against it for market purposes. The 

 Passion-fruit may be cultivated successfully from 2,000 ft. upwards, 

 and may either be allowed to grow over a fence or trellis-work, 

 or climb over trees, etc. Rich humous soil and a moist shaded 

 situation suit it best. Propagated by seed. (See illustration}. 



Persica vulgaris. Peach. (See under Prunus). 



Phyllanthus Emblica (Euphorbiaceas). " Nelli " S. A small 

 tree or shrub, with graceful feathery foliage, native of Ceylon, 



