The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-09-04
articles win be found interesting and
instructive reading.
SOME TROPICAL FRUITS.

Your late remarks concerning the
extent and ineradicable character of
the wild guava jungle in Jamaica re-
mind me of passage in Melvill's
Omoo," abiding to the same trou-
BILE in Tahiti and the adjacent islands.
He saws:
Alluvial fats bordering the sea,
and watered by streams from the
mountains, are over-grown with a
wild, scrub guava bush, introduced
by foreigners, and which spreads
with such fatal rapidity, that the
natives, standing still while it grows,
anticipate its covering the entire
island.n
In a strictly tropical region, tie
guava, unchecked by occasional
frosts, appears to be sometimes too
much of a good thing, and regarded
in the same light as the pestilent
sassafras or persimmon sprouts by
the Virginia farmer 1t is one of
the most widely distributed of tropi-
cal fruits, and varies as much in
shape, size and flavor as the apple.
To the uninitiated, o large, sweet
pear guava, not unlike o small squash
in appearance, would seem to be
fruit totally distinct from the small,
round, acid berry borne by another
bush. 1t cannot be relied upon TO
come true from seed, hence, when
fruit Of particular kind is desired,
the object may be attained by plant
ing cuttings or suckers, which ap-
pear to make as vigorous and long
lived plants as seedlings. MosI
likely it was brought into California
by way of Mexico, where it every
where abounds, often growing TO the
height of thirty or forty f ct, and
used by the people for fireweod.
Brown in his Camp Life in Guiana"
on journey to the head waters of
the Essequebo river, says:
Among the hills and valleys of
the Pacaraima mountains we OBJ
tanned quantities Of small, deli
ciously favored guavas. They were
of two kinds, one about the size OF
currant, the other q little larger
than a gooseberry; both growing
upon low shrubs" He often alludeS
to the number qf the wild cashew
trees (A,lacordisfss> in these forests,
and the abundance of their fruii,
which is smaller than that of the do
INVESTIGATED kind, and less astringent,
having a more delicate flavor.
En- 3oGssant, let me observe, that
from the elevated lands Of the trop-
les, we are more likely to procure
the hardest varieties of tropical
fruits, such as would be most likely
to endure the light troSts of Flor
ida Winter.
Do you think the West India hog
plum (Spo,adiaS) would grow in this
latitude
have often thought that we
might grow some sort of material
for strapping orange aud vegetable
boxes. so as to do away with the ne
cessity of importing wooden or iron
straps from the North. have seen
ribbons OF rawhide used, also halves
of oleander sprouts. Perphaps the
osier willow might answer, but l
would like to ask your opinion
about the suitsbleness of the bam-
boo, or possibly the supple jack or
rattan for that purpose.
Gould you or any OF your readers
give full description of the Chinese
cherry, (Eugenio MitcheIi), its native
country, degree Of hardness, style
and flavor Of fruit, time of bearing,
etc. have small plant growing
from a seed given me by gentle
man who ate the fruit this summer
somewhere up the river. He de-
scribed it as something like north
ern cherry, delicious to the taste,
probably too tender for shipment,
but very desirable for family use, an
early and protuse bearer, producing
two crops q year, and very good
substitute tor the northern cherry,
which, we all know, is barren here.
l think it came from Asiatic Russia
or North China.
And, finally, in descriptions of
plants and insects with which we are
not familiar, would you, whenever
practicable, oblige us with their sci
entitic names? 1t would encourage
the habit of accuracy among your
readers, and much enhance the value