THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 53 
Jamaica," may be either globose, when they are called for- 
bidden fruit, or pear-shaped, when grape fruit (so-called 
because the fruits grow in clusters like a bunch of grapes) 
is the older name. The name forbidden fruit (from a fan- 
cied connection with the Garden of Eden) is tolerably old 
in the West Indies. 
As usually happens, when a name has become familiar 
in commerce, it is eventually applied in a much wider sense 
than the original one. Thus, the term grape fruit has be- 
come so general that any moderately large fruit, provided 
the skin is pale-yellow, thin and smooth, and the pulp of a 
delicate flavor, is designated by it. The fruit commonly 
called grape fruit in New York is really the forbidden fruit 
of the West Indies. The true grape fruit is pear-shaped, 
and, according to Macfadyen, when obtainable at its best, 
is preferable to the forbidden fruit. The latter are in great 
demand, and they are regarded as the most refreshing and 
wholesome of any of the citrus family. 
The grape fruit is not a shaddock nor a pumelow. It 
is quite a distinct fruit and possesses exceptional merits. 
Tt is in great demand in America, chiefly because it has been 
so highly recommended by the medical faculty for its valu- 
able dietic and tonic qualities. It is also very refreshing and 
is regarded as a specific for dyspepsia. 
There are, doubtless, many inferior sorts of grape 
fruit. In fact, in the West Indies, the plants have been 
allowed to run almost wild. No care has been taken to 
select the best varieties, or to bud or graft them so as to 
keep them uniformlv at a high standard. There is no need 
to grow the thick-skinned and bitter sorts and those with 
a dry, cottony pulp, while there are varieties, both of the 
apple-shaped and pear-shaped fruits, with a silk>- skin, full 
of juice and of almost delightful flavor and with just enough 
bitter to give it piquancy and suggest its valuable tonic qual- 
ities. — Indian Planting and Gardening. 
