2 
THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
A peculiar thing noticed about all mango trees is that the limbs 
bear innumerable scars made by bolos, the natives probably believ- 
ing that such treatment will cause them to yield more or a better 
quality of fruit. Oranges here are very^ small with thin tender 
skins that are easily removed without the aid of a knife or other 
instrument. They are eaten before the skin turns yellow and are 
very sweet, but not so juicy as those grown in America. 
A dozen or more varieties of bananas are common, including 
the short, thick red ones that occasionally reach the United States 
from the West Indies. Some are eaten only raw, some only cook- 
ed, while others are good either cooked or raw. Some grow on 
trees four to five inches in diameter and five to seven feet high, 
others on trees a foot in diameter and thirty or forty feet high. 
The flesh of some is pure white and others a deep yellow. There 
is also a wide difference in the size, shape and flavor of the var- 
ious varieties. 
There seems to be no effort toward cultivating any of the fruits 
or vegetables of the Islands so as to improve their quality as is 
done in Europe and America. Farming is done here in a very 
primitive way, with the crudest of implements and on an extreme- 
ly small scale. I have never seen a field of more than a couple of 
acres and none under a high state of cultivation. Most crops are 
simply planted and allowed to grow and mature as best they can. 
Sweet potatoes, lima beans and some other vegetables raised in 
the United States grow wild over here. Gourds, squashes, pump- 
kins, cucumbers, watermelons and com are cultivated after a fash- 
ion. Watermelons are small and insipid. Filipinos gather their 
com after the husk has commenced to dry and roast on the cob over 
coals of fire at the markets and on the streets. I have never been 
in either the tobacco or the cane producing sections of the Island, 
but have seen both growing in gardens. 
The natural order myrtaceae is well represented here, there 
being several species of Eucalyptus, including E. globulus, which 
was probably introduced from Australia, as I have not seen it out- 
side of Manila. There are also several of Eugenia^ including E. 
malaconcnsis, a tree about the size of our apple, which bears an 
edible fruit resembling very much our prickly pear in size, shape 
and color. 
