THE CHOICEST OF TROPICAL FRUITS. 



89 



eovering containing a wliite, opaque centre an inch or 

 more in diameter. Tbi^^ is diTi<led into four or five 

 parts, each of which usually contains a small seed. 

 This white pai-t has a slightly-aweet taste, and a rich 

 yet delicate flavor, which is entirely peculiar to it- 

 sel£ It tastes pei'baj>s more like the white interior, 

 of a eheckerbeiTy than auy other fi*uit in our tem- 

 perate climate. The thick covering is dried by the 

 natives and used for an astringent. 



Several fruits claim the second place in this scale. 

 Some Eui'opeans would place the ramhutmi next the 

 mangosUn^ and others would prefer the mango or 

 the dm]m. The ramhitan (NepheUum la^mewm) is 

 nearly as large as an apple-tree. The fruit is globu- 

 lar in form, and an inch or an inch and a half in 

 diameter. The outside is a biight-red rind, orna- 

 mented with coarse, scattered bristles. Within is a 

 semi-transparent pulp, of a slightly acid taste, siu'- 

 rounding the seed. This ti^ee, like the dummi and 

 the mam^ogtin^ is wholly confined to the archipelago, 

 and its acid fruit is most refreshing in those hot lands. 

 At Batavia it is so abundant in February and Marchj 

 that great quantities ahuost line the streets in the 

 market parts of the city, and small boats are seen 

 filled to overflowing with this bright, strawberry- 

 colored fruit. 



The mango-tree {Mmvgif&ra mdicd) is a large, 

 thickly-branching tree, with bright-green leaves. Its 

 fruit k of an elliptical form, and contains a flat stone 

 of the same shape. Before it is ripe it is so keenly 

 acid, that it needs only to be preserved in salt water 

 to be a nice pickle for the table, especially with the 



