144 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
bination of vile odors. First one thinks of rotten eggs, then of 
sewer gas and garlic and finally he gives up any attempt at a 
classification of the different smells. The fruit is the size of a 
small watermelon with dark green, warty rind. Inside it is 
pale yellowish and of a dough-like consistency. The doughiness 
causes a peculiar feel in the mouth when eaten and is rather 
pleasing when taken in connection with the nutty flavor and 
sweet taste. A young Dutchman with whom I became acquainted 
had his servant, or “ boy/’ bring a collection of different fruits to 
the hotel. Among these was a durian. This was placed upon a 
table on the porch and there cut open. I was taking my regular 
afternoon nap at the time but the smell of the durian wakened me 
and I got up at once to see what was the matter. Fortunately 
my friend did not feel slighted because I did not like the durian. 
He really had it brought as a joke. There were about twelve 
other fruits which I tasted, some inoffensive, some rather good. 
Most of these have no English names and are never seen in our 
markets. The oranges in Java are poor, but pineapples and 
bananas are excellent. Such fruits as grapes, peaches and pears 
are not successfully grown, but strawberries are said to do well 
in the highlands. 
Probably the sections of the garden which strike the casual 
visitor most forcibly are those devoted to the palms and to the 
Pandanaceae. The former are certainly among the most graceful 
and beautiful of living things, while the latter are among the 
queerest and strangest. The royal palm of Cuba, Oreodoxa 
regia , is seen to good advantage in the garden. After getting 
acquainted with it there I often noticed it planted about the city. 
There are hundreds of other palms, some shrubby, as Nip a 
fruticans, others of enormous size. Some, such as the species 
of Phoenix , have dense symmetrical crowns, others are tall and 
slender. Contrasting with these graceful forms are the pandans 
—wierd looking trees with prop roots sticking out on all sides. 
The large dry fruit looks something like pine cones. These, 
with the spiral arrangement of the clustered leaves, have caused 
the plants to be called “ screw pines.” 
The botanist who goes to Buitenzorg is sure to look for and 
