bling gelatine dessert with a sour-sweet flavor. St. John’s bread 
is a brown pod of a pleasant sweet flavor, which is common and 
cheap in the East side markets. St. John is supposed to have 
lived for a time on this fruit (locust) and wild honey. Tamarinds 
are another pod fruit of a sweetish sour taste. They come in 
little baskets after the holidays. Custard apples, soursops, and 
sweetsops can be obtained in some of the fancy fruit stores dur- 
ing the winter. As with most tropical fruits, there is great dif- 
ference of opinion concerning their desirable qualities, largely, as 
I have already said, because most of these fruits are gathered 
from seedlings. Eventually when these fruits are grown in large 
commercial orchards from budded or grafted stock of a few 
selected varieties, there probably will not be such diverse opinions. 
Orlaxd E. White. 
A table of various fruits, giving their names, probable length 
of time of cultivation, their country of origin, and short com- 
ments, is appended. The letters indicate in a general way the 
antiquity of their cultivation. The starred names indicate those 
fruits the writer has found in the city markets. Many of the more 
uncommon of these fruit trees are to be seen in the greenhouses 
of the city’s two botanic gardens. 
A — cultivated for more than 4000 years. 
B — cultivated for more than 2000 years. 
C — cultivated for less than 2000 years in the old world. 
D — cultivated very anciently in America. 
E — cultivated before the discovery of America, but with no indications of very ancient culture. 
F — cultivated since the discovery of America. Often only very recently. 
Name 
Date 
Origin 
Remarks 
*Apple 
A 
E. Europe, W. Asia 
Very different type common to 
China. 
Actinidia 
? 
N. E. Asia, China 
Tastes something like a goose- 
berry, with a fig flavor. 
"Alligator Pear 
(Avocado ) 
E 
West Indies, W. South 
America to Chile 
Excellent salad fruit. 
Anchovy Pear 
West Indies 
Unripe fruit pickled. 
Akee 
F 
W. Tropical Africa 
Much esteemed cooked fruit in 
Jamaica. 
Achocon 
F (?) 
Peru 
Relative of the violet. Much 
esteemed locally. 
*Apricot 
A 
Central Asia, China 
Wild species variable. 
^Blackberry 
F 
United Slates 
Wild species very variable. 
^Blueberry 
F 
E. and N. North America 
Four species. Often confused 
with huckleberry. 
Buffalo-berry 
F 
N. W. United States 
Very acid, bright red or yellow 
fruit. Local. 
Breadfruit 
? 
East Indies 
Baked and eaten as a vegetable. 
*Banana 
A 
Southern Asia 
Exists in hundreds of varieties. 
Cashew 
a 
Tropical America 
Fruit excellent as preserves. 
Chupa-chupa 
F 
Colombia 
Apricot-mango flavored. 
Citron 
B 
India, S. Asia 
Very variable. 
^'Cranberry 
F 
E. and N. North America 
Cultivated for about 100 years. 
^Currant, Red 
C 
Northern Hemisphere 
White and yellow varieties are 
forms. 
^Currant, Black 
C 
N. Europe and Asia 
Rarely cultivated in America. 
Carabuca 
? 
Brazil 
Sub-acid garden fruit. Local. 
10 
