The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-01-05
The 1TdngOstcctt.

During their stay upon the island of
Java, DR.. Bronson and his young tray
cling companions took trip on u rail
way from Batavia to Buitcnzorg, in or
der that they might learn something of
the interior of the island. While on this
trip the boys observed, among other
things, that the trees in some instances
grew quite close to the track. DR.. Bron-
son explained to them that in the trop-
les it was no small matter to keep rail
way line clear of trees and vines, and
sometimes the vines would grow over
the track in a single night. 1t was nee
essary to keep men at work along the
track to cut away the vegetation where
it threatened to interfere with the trains,
and in tho rainy season the force was
sometimes doubled. "There is one
good effect" said he, "oi this luxuriant
growth. The roots OF the vines and
trees become interlaced in the ombank-
ment on which the road is built, and
prevent its being washed away by heavy
rains. SO you see there is, after all, a
saving in keeping the railway in repair"
AT several of the stations the natives
offered fruits of different kinds, and near
ly all new to our young friends. They
had been tolG Tat they would probably
find the mangosteen ior sale along the
road they had inquired Tor it i'll Singa-
pore, but it was not in season there, and
now their thoughts were bent upon dis
covering it between Batavia and Buiten-
zorg. Two or three times they were
disappointed when they asked forit; but
finally, at one of the stations, when Fred
pronounced the word mangosteen,"
native held up bunch of fruit and
nodded. Tho doctor looked at the
bunch and nodded likewise, and Fred
speedily paid for the prize.
Perhaps we had better let Fred tell the
story of the mangosteen, which he did
in his first letter from Buitenzorg
eve have found the prince of fruits,
and its name is mangosteen. 1t isabout
the size of pippin apple, and OF pur-
pie color-a very dark purple, too. The
husk, or rind, is about half an inch
thick, and contains bitter juice, which
is used in the preparation OF dye; II
stains the fingers like aniline ink, and is
not easy to wash off. Nature has wisely
provided this protection for the fruit If
it had no more covering than the ordi-
nary skin of an apple the birds would
eat it all up rs soon as it was ripe. If |
were bird, and had bill that wouIt
open the mangosteen, [ would eat notlA-
ing else as long as 1 could get at it.
"You cut this husk with a sharp knife
right across the center, and then you
open it in two parts. Out comes alIlmp
or pulp as white as snow, about the SIZE
of small peach. 1t is divided into sec
tons, like the interior of an orange, and
there is q sort of star on the outside
that tells you, before you cut the husk,
exactly how many of these sections
there are. Having got to the pulp, you
proceed to take the lump into your
mouth and eat it; and you will be too
busy for the next quarter of minute to
say anything.
Hip hip! hurrah 1t melts away
in your mouth like an overripe peach or
strawberry /; it has a taste that is slightly
acid-very slightly, too-but you can no
more describe all the flavor OF it than
you can describe how canary sings, or
violet smells. There is no other fruit
| ever tasted that begins to compare
with it, though L hesitate to admit that
there is anything to surpass our Ameri'
can strawberry in its perfection, or the
American peach. If you could get all
the hayors of our best fruits in one, and
then give that one the 'meltingness Of
the mangosteen, perhaps you might
equal it but, till you can do so, there
is no use denying that the tropics have