June, 1912.] 



In some instances trees and plants of 

 this nature have, by reason of their un- 

 usual fruit or some other characteristic, 

 attracted attention and been re-identi- 

 fied, or vague or curiously twisted names 

 and more or less legendary ideas of their 

 uses are retained. 



One thing particularly noticeable 

 among these economic trees, &c, that 

 have, so to speak, never "caught on" 

 with the later generation of settlers, on 

 account most probably of their affording 

 no indication of an immediate cash reali- 

 sation of their products, is that they 

 were in nearly every instance of excel- 

 lent quality. Hence the old group of 

 mango trees in the old paddock, the 

 stray citrus tree now surrounded and all 

 but killed out by scrub, and the old tree 

 in an old back garden, has a fruit fre- 

 quently surpassing in sweetness as well 

 as in other respects the average present- 

 day type. 



Some of these unusual trees belong to 

 drier countries, and the past season, 

 bordering in parts on drought, has 

 possibly resulted in an unusually prolific 

 fruiting, In a recent visit to Cardwell a 

 specimen of the Cashew Nut {Anacar- 

 dium occidentale) was found in bearing. 

 Though very uncommon, several of these 

 trees also exist on the Herbert River, 

 but the best specimens are among the 

 two or three to be found in and around 

 Cardwell. 



This tree is a native of both the 

 East and West Indies. There are 

 many varieties with varying proper- 

 ties and uses, some of them poi- 

 sonous ; but two are edible— a red 

 and a yellow fruited variety. It was a 

 fairly well grown specimen of the yellow- 

 fruited variety that was brought to me 

 for identification, with the story that 

 children were very fond of the acid 

 juiciness of the fruit, but that one child 

 in particular, and other people at various 

 times, had experienced painful burning 

 of the lips and tongue on biting the seed 

 or seed case. To those not acquainted 

 with the nature of this peculiar fruit the 

 accompanying " snapshot " will show 

 that it is a fruit somewhat pear-shaped, 



517 Edible Products. 



some 3 in. long by 2 in. to t\ in. thick, 

 and that it has its seed (kidney shaped) 

 below and clear from — instead of, as is 

 usual in fruit, surronnded by— the pulp. 



It is this very nut, however, that is the 

 reason of this tree being thought as 

 highly of as it is in most Eastern 

 countries, being, when prepared, the 

 Cashew or Promotion nut of commerce, 

 one of the most prized delicacies in the 

 way of dessert table nuts and a f avourite 

 ingredient of sweetmeats of both the 

 East and the West Indies. 



Though this highly prized nut is grown 

 on the tree unprotected by pulp and in a 

 position apparently defenceless frcm the 

 attack of birds and animals, Nature 

 has afforded it another and singularly 

 effective means of protection. From the 

 first moment of pollination the seed or 

 nut monopolises the available plant food, 

 quickly attaining its full size. Mean- 

 while the pulp portion of the fruit 

 appears merely as a somewhat thickened 

 stalk or stem above the boomerang- 

 shaped seed. At this stage the nut is a 

 bright-green colour, but from now on, as 

 the fruit proper grows and ripens, the nut 

 merely matures, and in doing so shrinks 

 slightly and changes from a green to a 

 dull-grey colour. When thoroughly ripe 

 the fruit can be eaten, and may be pre- 

 served or dried in the usual way, but is 

 generally very acid, and is not thought 

 much of. The nuts at this time may be 

 collected, but must be treated with 

 respect. They are not edible in the raw 

 state at all. The outer grey shell is 

 tough, and when cut open exudes an oil 

 which quickly turns black on exposure 

 to the air. This oil is known as Cashew 

 Apple oil, Cardoil, or Cardole, and is a 

 dangerous corrosive poison ; the effect on 

 the skin, especially of the lips or face, if 

 the raw nut be bitten, is very similar to 

 that of crude carbolic acid. The oil of this 

 species is more or less volatile, or, at any 

 rate, can be rendered innocuous by heat, 

 and hence the nuts before use or even 

 shelling are, in the East treated by being 

 roasted. At first the very fumes are dis- 

 agreeably acrid, but when these have 



