1038 
tropical fruits have been made by the 
California and by the Maine experiment 
stations, and the Bureau of Chemistryy 
of this Department has reported an ex- 
tended series of investigations of such 
fruits and the jams and preserves made 
from them. 
Most of the fruits and fruit products 
included in the table are too well known 
to need description. Of those which are 
less familiar, the avocado or “alligator 
pear” is a green or purple fruit not un- 
like an egg plant in appearance. The 
portion eaten is the pulp which sur- 
rounds the single large seed. In tex- 
ture it is soft and somewhat like butter, 
and to this quality it doubtless owes the 
name “midshipmen’s butter,” given to it 
in the days of sailing vessels. The avo- 
cado is eaten in a variety of ways, but 
is most commonly served as a salad. 
This fruit has a delicate, almost nut-like 
flavor, and is every year becoming more 
popular. Earlier publications= of this 
Department have discussed the avocado 
at length and described its cultivation 
and uses. 
The fruits of several sorts of cactus 
are very commonly eaten in Mexico and 
other regions where cactus is abundant, 
and are common though less well known 
in New Mexico and the Southwest. Un- 
der the name of prickly pear or Indian 
fig fresh cactus fruits, particularly the 
oblong, oval, yellowish or reddish fruits 
of Opuntia ficus indica, showing here 
and there characteristic tufts of fine 
spines or bristles, are occasionally seen 
at certain seasons of the year in large 
fruit shops. Cactus fruits may be used 
for jam making and in similar ways. A 
rather hard solid preserve or “cactus 
cheese,” which may sometimes contain 
nuts, is a Mexican sweetmeat. 
Many varieties of the guava, a very 
aromatic tropical and sub-tropical fruit, 
are grown in the warmer regions of the 
United States, and its uses are so varied 
that it is often said the guava occupies 
Se ORAPLANRREN 
~ United States Department of Agriculture, 
Bureau of Chemistrv Bulletin 87. 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 77; Farmers’ 
Bulletin 169. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
much the same place in cookery in the 
Tropics as the apple in northern regions. 
The fresh fruit is seldom seen outside 
the regions where it is grown, but guava 
jelly and guava paste are common com- 
mercial products, and have been popu- 
lar ever since the days when the West 
India merchantmen brought these del- 
icacies, preserved tamarinds, and oranges 
and lemons to our northern markets as 
well as such staple goods as sugar and 
molasses. 
The roselle or Jamaica sorrel is the 
fruit of a widely distributed tropical 
hibiscus which is grown extensively in 
California and Florida. The fruits some- 
what resemble okra in form, are of a 
dark magenta color, and have an acid 
flavor much like that of cranberries. 
They are used for jams, jellies, ete. 
The Surinam cherry is the fruit of 
a South American tropical shrub now 
grown to a limited extent in Southern 
Florida and California. It is about the 
size and shape of an ordinary cherry, 
and owes its common English name to 
this fact. The fruit is bright red in 
color, and has a sharp but pleasant acid 
flavor. The Surinam cherry is used for 
jelly making, etc., but is seldom a com- 
mercial product. 
The loquat, commonly though incor- 
rectly called the Japan plum, is grown 
to a considerable extent in the southern 
United States. The small, yellowish, 
plum-like fruits are almost translucent 
when ripe, and are covered with a downy 
fuzz or bloom. The pulp is soft and 
tender and quite tart until fully ripe. 
The flavor is distinct and agreeable. Lo- 
quats are used both raw and cooked, and 
both fresh and preserved fruits are 
commercial products. 
The sapodilla, a tropical fruit which 
thrives in regions like the warmer parts 
of Florida, suggests a good-sized russet 
apple in appearance, but when broken 
open is quite different in character, as 
it contains a number of rather large flat 
brown seeds embodied in a_ tender 
brownish white pulp. The flavor is 
characteristic, and to some palates sug- 
gests a combination of a pleasant mild 
acid with caramel or brown sugar. The 
