CHAPTER XLIV. 



THE POMEGRANATE. 



The Pomegranate {Punka granatum) in flower, fruit, and 

 foliage is one of the most graceful and beautiful shrubs in 

 existence. A native of Persia or Northern India, and often 

 alluded to in Scripture, it has been admired and cultivated 

 from the earliest times. At the present day it is met with in 

 most of the warmer parts of the globe, but does not appear to 

 be grown for cornmercial purposes to any great extent, per- 

 haps because it is not a profuse bearer, and the fruit, enclosed 

 in a thick and bitter rind and containing many seeds, is less 

 easily eaten than most others. As an ornamental shrub it is 

 a great favorite, and the dwarf double-flowering varieties 

 make a gorgeous display when in full bloom. 



The crimson pulp enveloping the seeds is always agreeable 

 and refreshing, besides being extremely cooling and grateful 

 to patients suffering from fever. The astringent skin pos- 

 sesses tonic properties, while the bark of the tree is used for 

 tanning morocco leather, and that of the root is an effective 

 vermifuge. 



Propagation 



is readily effected by seed, layers, or cuttings. The branches 

 are slender, sometimes thorny, and clothed with narrow, light 

 green leaves two or three inches long. Flowers of good size 

 with a thick, fleshy calyx, and petals of a delicate texture and 

 curled or crimped; the whole of a deep scarlet color. The 

 fruits often grow to the dimensions of a large apple, and are 

 exceedingly handsome and attractive ; the leathery rind being 

 golden yellow, or nearly pure white with a light or dark 

 blush. The tree is hardy generally all over the Gulf States 

 and a little farther north, and is perfectly at home in Arizona, 

 New Mexico, and California. The sour varieties seem able to 



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