where the banana produces perfect seed. 

 The banana must be a very old fruit, 

 for it has been seedless for thousands of 

 years." 



"I'd like to know how it got to Amer- 

 ica; it must have been brought before 

 Columbus came," said Alice. 



"Yes," responded her aunt ; "it must 

 have been brought, it is thought, by that 

 strange people from over the sea of 

 whom the Aztecs had a tradition ; but, 

 be that as it may, it is at least probable 

 that it is the first plant that was ever 

 cultivated, and more people now live 

 upon the banana than upon flour. Hum- 

 boldt says that nothing gives so much 

 food to the acre as the banana." 



"To what order of plants does the 

 banana belong?" Alice enquired. 



"It is a developed tropical lily ; by cul- 

 tivation the seeds have been eliminated 

 and the fruit enlarged. Both beast and 

 bird are fond of this fruit, as well as 

 man." 



"I'd like to know," said John, "if 

 there is any other fruit that has gotten 

 rid of its seeds?" 



"Yes, indeed; can't you think of one?" 



"Not I," said John, shaking his head. 



"We can, we can," cried the girls ; 

 "we seed raisins, but not zante currants ; 

 they are seedless." 



"But our currants are seedy," objected 

 John. 



"Zante currants are really a species of 

 raisins," Aunt Jane explained. The 

 name comes from Corinth, the place of 

 shipment, and is changed into currant ; 

 they were called raisins de Corauntz." 



"Are there any other curious apples 

 beside the custard?" Alice inquired. 



"Growing at Key West," was the re- 

 ply, "there is a fruit of which a writer 

 says : 'And what is this, like an ever 

 green peach, shedding from the under- 

 side of every leaf a golden light — call it 

 not shade? — a star apple.' This fruit is 

 round and smooth, with a greenish or 

 purple pulp, as there are two kinds. The 

 core is white and is shaped like a star. 

 It contains several seeds as large as 

 pumpkin seeds. This sugar apple grows 

 at Key West on bushes. It is cone- 

 shaped, has a scaly rind and creamy yel- 

 low pulp which tastes like sweet cus- 

 tard." 



"How easy cooking must be," said 

 Alice, "when custards can be gathered 

 from a tree. If I lived at Key West I 

 think I should every day invite company 

 to tea." 



"You might add 'sour sop' to your bill 

 of fare," suggested Aunt Jane, "but you 

 would have to send to the Spanish West 

 Indies for it." 



"Think of gravy growing on a tree," 

 exclaimed the boys. 



"Sour sop is a fruit — Anona muricata 

 — which weighs from two to four 

 pounds. Its juicy pulp tastes like a ball 

 of cotton soaked in turpentine, until a 

 person gets accustomed to it, when it is 

 considered delicious and refreshing as 

 lemonade." 



"I have an idea," interrupted Bird. 



"Do listen," said John ; "it is some- 

 thing unusual for Bird to have an idea." 



"You saucy boy ! This is my idea, 

 and you will all agree that it is a good 

 one, too. Let us help Alice set her tea 

 table. She already has custard, sour sop 

 or a new kind of lemonade. Now I'll 

 furnish the bread. It grows in Polyne- 

 sia and tastes like Yorkshire pudding. 

 Papa told me that it grows on trees, 

 though it is as large as a small pumpkin. 

 The tree bears eight months of the year. 

 The rind of this fruit is rough, the pulp 

 white and fibrous and looks like fresh 

 bread, but it must be roasted before it is 

 eaten. So Alice will have a little cook- 

 ing to do." 



"No, she won't," cried Howard. "I'll 

 run over to Egypt and bring her some 

 monkey bread — it does not need cook- 

 ing." 



"What is monkey bread?" inquired 

 Alice. "I fear from the name it is not 

 nice, and I want my guests to have a 

 good supper." 



"Do describe it, Auntie," said How- 

 ard. "I confess I know nothing about 

 it but the name." 



"It grows on a very large tree in 

 Africa. The fruit is nine or ten inches 

 long, about four inches in diameter and 

 is pointed at the ends. The pulp is far- 

 inaceous and the taste is acid." 



"I won't have sour bread," cried 

 Alice. 



"Then, Howard, you can get a jaca 

 or jak, which is a fruit allied to the 



