Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-09-15
TropieaI Fruits.

Mangoes frcm Jamaica are among the
most delicious of these rare fruits. They
are pear-shaped, with a thick, golden,
red-cheeked rind and an orange colored
pulp. A large pit like a peach stone
takes up half the fruit, and contains a
bitter kernel. The specimens of this
fruit are said, by those who have eaten
1t in South America and Jamaica, to be
excellent. It is necessary to pick the
mango when it is ripe, as those that
ripen after they are picked are devoid
of flavor and worthless. It is conse-
quently perishable cargo, and full
twenty per cent. of those brought to
this country spoil before they reach the
country. The sweet mango is the species
usually seen here. There is a slightly
acid kind sometimes sold, which is very
pleasant to the taste. Fresh mangoes
are worth from fifty cents to one dollar
a dozen.
The sweet mangoes put up at Bonn
bay are famous East India chutney,
and popular accompaniment of cur
ries in England. Though seldom used
in this country, they may be bought
for 81 30 bottle. They shonld not be
confounded with picked musk melons,
which are called mangoes by New Eng
land housekeepers.
The red and yellow banana are not
different species. All bananas are
naturally yellow and are made red by
grating. The effect of the graft runs
out in seven years, when we have some
times bananas that are red, spotted or
streaked with yellow. There are over
forty or fifty varieties of this fruit.
The little guineos, or fig banana, is not
unknown to our fruit stores. It is not
over a finger long, and it is one Of the
finest species. The plantain and bs-
mana are Of the same family. The orr
entail Christians searching for the Gar
en- Eden believed that the banana
was the forbidden fruit, and named it
the Stree of Paradise" though the
forbidden fruit" sold in Paris fruit
stalls and in our own markets is a
species of orange, the grape shaddock.
1t is of no special value, is acid, and
is kept more for display than anything
else. The legendsays it was good till
Eve tasted it, bud it has been bad since.
The deep depressions near the stem Of
the fruit like the mark of teeth, are
supposed to be the origin Of its claim.
The mandarin oranges are small
species of fruit with a dark-colored
perfumed rind hardly thicker than
brown paper. The tangerine is va
riety of mandarin. It is the thinnest-
skinned species Of orange known.
Mandarin and tangerine oranges, which
are in market during the winter months,
are sold from seventy-five cents to 81 q
dozen. The seedless st. Michael
oranges are brought from the Azores,
and though common in England, are
seldom seen in this country They are
small, ight-colored fruit. with scarce
ly any seeds, and are excellent in flavor.
In New York they bring from sixty to
seyenty-fve cents dozen.
Fresh cocoanuts, OF the immature
cocoanuts, picked when they are half
ripe, are the favorite food and beverage
Of the the tropics. The stem and green
cupsat the base dropping off is the ex-
ternal indication that they have soured.
The natives use huge knife called a
maehete, as large as butchers cleayer,
to open the nut, which they strike on
the stem end. A hole is thus made
through the husk and shell, and the
soft pulp OF the nut is scooped out and
placed IN a goblet. The milk, which in
this stage is as clear as spring water, is
poured over the pulp, and it is thus
served to guests with orange flowers in
the goblet. It is drunk and eaten with
q spoon. It Is declared by most people
who have eaten It to be the most delic-
ious form Of this well known palm
fruit, which the Ceylonese believe will
not grow out Of the sound of the human
voice. The Indian viii be indolent, =
says the South American proyerb, q SO
long as the dorado fish floats in the
river or the cocoannt palm yields it's
fruit.
Adam u The patron saint of The West
er1 pork IaiHers, because be had the