Deeenlber 26, I9d3. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
1063 
Two Good Fruits Suitable for Introduction 
to the English Market. 
Ur John R. Jackson, A.L.S., ex-Keeper of the Museums, Royal 
Gardens, Kew. 
The introduction of new products, whether for food, medicine 
or for the purposes of manufacture, is a subject of continually 
increasing interest, more particularly in these days, when the 
consideration, of the products of our own Empire are brought 
so prominently before us as having a, greater claim for de¬ 
velopment than those of foreign, origin,. At the Christmas 
season, also, the matter is more prominently brought to our 
notice when side by side with the products of Great Britain 
and her colonies we see all the varied ingenuities of our Con¬ 
tinental neighbours and our American, consuls competing for 
a, lirst place. In the matter of preserved or crystallised fruits, 
which are always in special demand at this season, it, cannot, 
be denied that France takes the lead, not only in the quality 
of the preparations themselves, but also- in the elegant new 
dainty manner in which they are “ got up.” There is no doubt, 
however, that England of late years has, learnt much in this 
direction, and there is really no- reason why the trade in 
crystallised and preserved fruits, if not capable of being de- 
veloped into an actual British industry, should not be taken 
up 1 by some of her colonies or foreign possessions. 
Vegetable products- of various- kinds suggest themselves as 
being particularly adaptable for an extensive development- in 
this direction. It is true that we have at certain seasons con¬ 
signments of the Chocho fruit (Sechium edule) from the West 
Indies, but these, at present, have not “ taken on,” nor has the 
Tree Tomato (Cypliomandra b-etacea), nor the Chinese Arti¬ 
choke or Cros-nes (Stackys t-uberifera), nor many others that 
could be mentioned. It is possible that a long period of cul¬ 
tivation might so far improve all these products, such as has 
been done' with the Potato, that in future generations! they will 
become the leading vegetables and displace those, with which 
we are at present satisfied, or, indeed, to which we give pre¬ 
ference. 
But it is not with the cultivation of new vegetables that we¬ 
ar© now specially concerned, but with the preservation either in 
syrup or by a, system of candying or crystallising of such fruits, 
whether home grown, or imported, as specially lend themselves 
to this treatment, and we need only mention two as an example 
of many more worthy of careful experiments. Of these two, 
we have had opportunities- of practically testing their qualities, 
and are able- to- give most satisfactory reports. 
The first- fruit, is that of the Rose Apple (Eugenia Jambos), a 
small handsome tree of India, where it is largely cultivated, as 
well as in, other tropical countries. The beauty of its flowers, 
fruit, a-nd foliage is said “ to render it, a fit ornament for any 
garden,.” 
The tree belongs to- the My-rtaceae and to the same- genus 
as the Clove. It is thus quaint-ly described in, Linscho-ten’s 
“Voyage to the East Indies” in. 1598: “The trees whereon 
the Jambos do grow are as great as Plum trees and ve-rie like 
unto them; it, is an excellent and a, verie pleasant- fruite to 
look© on, as big a,s an Apple; it hath a red colour, and some¬ 
what whitish, so clear© and pure that it seemeth to be painted 
or made- of waxe; it is very pleasant- to eat-e and smelleth like 
rosewater ; it is whit© within, and in -eating mo-yste and water- 
ish; it is a, most daint-ie fruite, as well as for bewtie to the 
sight, so for the sweet- savour and taste; it, is a fruite that is 
never forbidden to any sicke person as other fruits are, but are 
freelie given unto sicke men to eate that have a desire there¬ 
unto, for it can, do-e no hurt. Tire- blossoms are likewise- veiy 
fair© to the sight, and have a. sweet, smell; they are red and 
somewhat whitish of colour. This tree beareth fruite three or 
four© tymes every year©; -and which is more won.d'erfull, it hath 
commonly on the one side or half© of the tree' ripe Jamb-os 
and the leaves- fallen, off, and on the other side or half© it, hath 
all the leaves and be-ginneth (again©) to blo-ss-ome, and when 
that side hath fruite, and that the leaves fall off, then the 
other side begin noth again t-c- have leaves and to blossom©, and 
so it oontinueth all the year© long; within they have a, stone- 
as great© (and very neere of the same fashion) as the fruite of 
the Cypress tree.” 
The tree, which is also- commonly cultivated in Burmese 
gardens, would appear to be of some consideration amongst 
the, Burmese people, judging from the following paragraph 
from Mason’s “ Burma-,” which reads somewhat like a Christ¬ 
mas fairy tale: “According to Burma® geography, there is a 
Eugenia tree- on the great island or continent, which we inhabit 
that is twelve hundred miles high, one hundred and eighty-six 
in circumference, with five principal branches each six hundred 
miles long; from this tree- the island derives its name, Jam- 
budeba, Eugenia, island.” 
The fruits vary much in size and shape, some being almost 
pear-shaped, as shown in. the drawing, while-others are more or 
less globular, and about the size of a, small Apple. The flavour 
Rose Apple (Eugenia Jambos) considerably reduced. 
when ripe and fresh resembles that of rose-water. In some 
varieties the absence of juice causes them to be but little 
esteemed, though they are used for making jam. It- is not, 
however, for this purpose that w© draw especial attention to 
the R-o-se Apple, but, as we have -before s-aid, for the purpose 
of crystallising or candying, and it, might perhaps be made a 
profitable article of trade between the West Indies and this 
country. An attempt was made many years ago to introduce 
them in this form from Jamaica, attention having be-en first 
drawn to them a,s an exhibit amongst a collection of West 
Indian fruits at an exhibition in Philadelphia,, where they gained 
a silver medal. From this they were introduced to notice in 
London, and a large quantity was immediately asked for, but 
as this c-ould not be supplied -a,t -once candied Rose Apples lost 
their chance of becoming a trade commodity, and nothing 
has been heard of them since the first- experiment-, which was 
conducted on a very small scale, and by an amateur, simply to 
show what the fruit was capable- of. But the experiment 
showed that there are possibilities for an opening for a- new 
