and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— November, 1911. 481 



'Tabloid' -«*-□ Medical Outfits 



Measuremeuts tij X X S 3 . in. 



'TABLOID' MEDICINE CASE 

 No. 258 (The Settler's) 



Fitted with the world-famed 'Tabloid' Brand 

 Medicines, Bandages, etc. The medicines are 

 perfectly reliable in hot or damp climates. They 

 are prepared in accurate doses ready for dispensing 

 and are quite palatable. In climate-proof metal 

 case (black japanned). 



Price in London 2,8 J 



' Tabloid ' Medical Equipments are obtainable 

 at the principal pharmacies in all countries 



Burroughs Wellcome & Co., London 



New York 



xx 293 



Milan 



Montreal 



Shanghai 



Sydney Cape Town 



Buenos Aires 



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IDEAL FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURISTS 



THE FRUIT INDUSTRY OF CUBA. 



Cuba has a wide range of fruit, some of which 

 are very strange to the foreigner. The plum 

 (ciruela) grows directly from the branches of 

 the tree with no stems. The fruit is somewhat 

 astringent, which however is not disagreeable 

 when one is accustomed to it. The mango per- 

 tains to the peach family, the trees grow to 

 a large size and bear a fruit which has a shape 

 similar to a peach but is more oblong. The 

 peel is smooth and thick and is easily removed. 

 The fruit has a large seed covered with a fibrous 

 growth which threads itself through the meat, 

 is very luscious and very much prized, but 

 many persons do not like it because of the 

 slight taste of turpentine in it. The aguacate, 

 or alligator pear, grows to perfection, and is 

 used for salads. In size and shape it is not 

 unlike a large pear. The sugar apple is very 

 sweet, with mealy sugary interior. The sour 

 sop (guanabana) is of the same family as the 

 sugar apple. It is used largely in the prepara- 

 tion of refreshing drinks, in ices and ice-cream. 

 The sapodilla (zapote) is a flat round fruit, 

 about the size of a golf ball, and in colour 

 resembles an Irish potato. There are several 

 varieties of this fruit. The caimito is a com- 

 bination of the plum and the fig. Some 

 caimitos are green, and others have a purple 

 exterior. They are very palatable, and are 

 filled with a soft jelly-like substance with an 

 agreeable juice. The mamoncillo is a small 



round, green or russet fruit about the size of 

 a large marble, filled with a very acid juice. 

 It has very little meat, as the large seed leaves 

 little room for the juice and the yellowish meat 

 which surrounds it. This fruit makes a delicious 

 drink. The guava is us«d for making excep- 

 tionally fine jellies, marmalades and preserves. 

 The peel is occasionally used in a home-made 

 brew of beer. Guavas grow in great abundance 

 throughout Cuba on bushes and small sized 

 trees. The mamey Colorado grows on large 

 trees, and is a fruit resembling a russet apple 

 in colour and about the size and shape of an 

 ostrich egg. The fig grows well in Cuba, the 

 black green and Symrna varieties all thrive, 

 but, according to a recent report of the Cuban 

 Ministry of Agriculture, no effort has been 

 made to cultivate them since the retirement 

 of the Spanish Government. Before that time 

 the cultivation of this fruit was prohibited, 

 except one tree which was allowed to each 

 family. This was said to have been done to 

 protect the home (Spanish) industry. The same 

 law also existed against the cultivation of grapes 

 during the Spanish sovereignty. There are, 

 however, old grape vines in Cuba which have 

 never had any cultivation, but which are 

 prolific bearers of excellent fruit and thus 

 show what an opportunity awaits those who 

 will engage in the intelligent cultivation of 

 the grape in Cuba. In connection with this 

 it may be said that there is probably no 

 country in the world which consumes so much 



61 



