THE CUBA REVIEW 



In Cuba the fig tree has a faculty of hanging on and thriving in localities where seems to be an utter 

 lack of soil. Our picture shows a ruined house at one corner of which a fig tree has taken root and has 

 still further crowded off the rear wall in its growth. Most of the roots are_ in plain sight and are a 

 perfect tangle of ligaments grafted one upon another and woven into every chink of the masonry. The 

 ruined house is evidently a relic of the Spanish war, a few such remaining, though, for the most 

 part, they have been cleared away or rebuilt. 



CONCERNING OKRA 



Okra belongs to a family of plants 

 known as the malvaceas. Its scientific name 

 is abelmoschus escultenus (L). It is a 

 native of the East Indies and is cultivated 

 everywhere in the tropics for its 3'oung, 

 edible fruits. It furnishes the besam- 

 korner in perfumery preparations. 



Etymologically, the word "Gumbo" is 

 derived from the Angolan word "King- 

 ombo." The "Ki" prefix is the usual 

 Bantic prefix and the real word is 

 "Ngombo." In pronounciation the "n" 

 is usually dropped. Thus the word 

 "Gumbo" is an African word suffering a 

 local corruption. It is applied both to 

 the plant, which is variously known as 

 hibiscus escultentus, or ketmia, and to the 

 soup thickened with the mucilaginous 

 pods of this plant. 



In Loziere's account of his second voyage 

 in Louisiana in 1794-98 I found the fol- 

 lowing reference to this plant (I append 

 a literal translation of his account) : 



"There is no substance so soothing to affec- 

 tions of the chest, which, in the colonists, are 



very common, as that of Gombeau. It is of a 

 species of Ketmia; its flowers, its fruits, and 

 its leaves are very soothing. These are often 

 used in preparation of cooling draughts and 

 poultices. All portions of Gombeau enter into 

 the native stews of the colonists, and the Euro- 

 peans, as well as the Creoles, find in the fruit 

 of this little shrub an excellent food. M. Dazelle 

 recommends it very highly to the arrivals from 

 Europe. It is the means of evading the inflam- 

 matory maladies which are so diflicult to avoid." 

 —Prof. A. T. Bell, in the Demeter. 



PRUNING ORANGE TREES 



Pruning is a phase of orange-tree culture 

 which receives but little attention, writes 

 Mr. T. R. Wallace in a recent number of 

 the Porto Rico Horticultural Review 

 (Vol. Ill, No. 10), although the value 

 of the crops can be greatly enhanced by 

 judicious cutting. 



He says that after a few years citrus 

 trees grow a top which forms a pyramid 

 over the centre of the tree shutting out 

 all light and air from the center. This 

 cannot be corrected by simply cleaning out 

 the interior of the tree nor by thinning 

 out fruit wood from the side. The letting 



