1036 
the situation 1s much the same Such 
quantities of bananas are now taken to 
England and sold at such reasonable rates 
that they are sometimes spoken of there 
as the poor man’s fruit. At the present 
time there are a number of fruits, such 
as avocados or “alligator peats,” man- 
goes, and sapodillas, which are fairly well 
known in our large markets though sel- 
dom seen in the smaller towns. The 
enormous development of the fruit grow- 
ing industry in California and Florida, 
which includes the products of both tem- 
perate and warm regions, as well as the 
possibilities of supplying the Northern 
markets with tropical fruits from Porto 
Rico and Hawaii, makes it probable that 
within a few years the avocado, the man- 
go, and other tropical fruits will be as 
well known as the pomelo or the pine- 
apple 
Improvements in transportation have 
also materially lengthened the season of 
many fruits, such as strawberries, which 
can not be stored for any considerable 
period. Florida and the Carolinas now 
send their berries to Northern markets 
months before the home-grown crop can 
be expected and several weeks before that 
from tidewater Virginia or New Jersey 
is ripe As an illustration of the effect of 
improved methods in shipping fruit, it 
may be mentioned that melons from the 
south of France, hothouse peaches from 
Belgium, and peaches, plums and other 
fruits from South Africa are now sent 
to our American markets in winter. The 
introduction or origination of new var- 
ieties of fruits also prolongs the season. 
As an instance may be cited the Peen-to 
peach, a Chinese variety which can be 
successfully raised in Florida and Texas, 
and which is found in our Northern mar- 
kets in early spring, though at present at 
prices which clearly make it a luxury. 
Furthermore, improved methods of eul- 
ture and transportation have extended the 
area planted to old and well-known var- 
ieties. 
Color and Flavor of Fruits 
Fruits, like leaves and flowers, owe 
their varied color to a number of chemi- 
cal compounds, the green to chlorophyll 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
(the characteristic coloring matter of 
green leaves), the yellow to xanthin 
bodies and other yellow pigments, and 
the blue and red to solutions in the cell 
sap of complex coloring matters which 
have in most cases been isolated and 
classified. Several coloring matters are 
often present in combination and give rise 
to the great variety of shades which dif- 
ferent fruits present. In white fruits 
coloring matter is absent from the epi- 
dermis and the cells are said to be filled 
with air. As fruits develop, mature, and 
deteriorate, the coloring matters present 
undergo marked chemical changes, and 
color is one of the most common means of 
judging of ripeness. 
Attractive color has a decided effect on 
market value, and the public demand 
varles greatly in different regions. Thus, 
a yellow or russet dessert apple is de- 
manded in the French market, while in 
many parts of the United States the red 
apple has the preference. A faded, dull 
color is often an indication of staleness; 
strawberries and raspberries which have 
been kept too long have little of the bril- 
liant color of freshly gathered fruit. That 
fruit colors in general are not very per- 
manent is shown by the way the color 
deteriorates on long-continued cooking or 
fades when canned and preserved fruits 
are exposed to the light. 
In preparing such fruits as plums, 
peaches, etc., for the table, the skin may 
be readily removed without injury to the 
flavor by first immersing them for a short 
time in boiling hot water. A silver knife 
should always be used for paring apples, 
pears, and other fruits, as if a steel knife 
is used the acid of the fruit acts on the 
iron of the knife and frequently causes 
a black discoloration, and there is also 
very commonly a noticeable metallic flav- 
or. If pared or cut fruit is exposed to the 
air, it rapidly turns dark in color, ow- 
ing to the action of oxydases, as some of 
the ferments normally present in fruits 
are called, upon the tannin or other readi- 
ly oxidizable bodies which are also nor- 
mal fruit constituents. 
In the same way the brown color of the 
bruised spots in apples is caused by oxid- 
