The Portland daily press., 1889-11-09
NEW FRUITS.
Uncle sam Plans TO Give Us De-
licacies from the Tropics.


licacies from the Tropics,
The Government is making earnest efforts
just at present to introduce new and i'm
proved fruits from tropical lands into the
United States, and messages are being sent
from the Agricultural Department to the
fartherest corners Of the earth. requesting
small consiguments Of seeds and plants,
such as are likely to make luscious additions
to Uncle Sans orchards and plantations,
says the Washington correspondent Of the
Boston Transcript. Only two or three days
ago the first Importation Of named varieties
of cocoanuts ever received In this country
reached here from the Philippine Islands;
five distinct kinds the consul at Manila sent
with their proper designations attached, and
fourteen more kinds unbiased. They were
sent at once to Lake Worth, Fla, for plant
ing and cultivation. From Turkestan and
Bokhara. too, seeds are shortly expected OF
certain superb varieties OF peaches that shall
be proof against that destructive disease OF
the fruit In this country, the "yellows.
GRATED trees have been ordered, also, OF the
famous mangOsteen, from southern emma
the finest of all tropical fruits, as people In
south Asia think. Though grown In India.
it has never been brought hither, nor even TO
England, owing TO its perishaoie qualify.
though frequent efforts have been made to
convey specimens TO the queen. IL Is OF
medium size, roundish and Of most delicious
sweet flavor. 1t has delicate yell0wisn
pulp, Southern China Is also being drawn
upon for grated trees OF the mango, and
new Japanese fruit called the ''myrica
rubyra," small, and shaped like an olive, has
Just arrived. Six varieties Of the banana,
from the Philippine Islands, should not be
forgotten, and most Important OF all Is the
persimmOn, desirable samples OF which are
to be brought from japan and particularly
hardy ones from Korea, such as may be able
to stand the climate far north on this contt-
nent. Nearly all these fruits are strictly
tropical, and so they will be- sent, or have
been sent already, to Lake Worth. which Is
so far south In Florida that frost never
touches 1t, there TO be pr0pagatsd FROM, so
that Ii may be discovered how profitable u
will be to cultivate them on American soil.
The persimmon, which grows so plentifully
In the United States as far up In latitude as
northern Virginia, was brought originally to
this country from Japan, where II Is known
as the "kaki." II Is a semi-tropical fruit.
and succeeds admirably in all the Gulf
States, where 1t Is largely grown for market:
In Japan 1t is the staple fruit, being regarded
there very much as the apple Is with US.
Here II Is nearly always eaten fresh, while
in Asia 1t Is also dried good deal, like hgs.
and made into preserves. II Is In TACT,
Bureau at Washington Is most anxious to
encourage its cultivation In America. With
this end In view, specimens OF many varieties
already cultivated here have been secured
from all over the south and painstaklngly
compared with pictures Of different kinds OF
kaki obtained from Japan and drawn 0y
Japanese artists In col0rs. In this manner
nine varieties have already been Identified,
and, when the work Is completed, IL Will pc
possible for a persimmon-farmer to ascertain
what he Is growing; and furthermore. be
wants to get Seeding from the pOm0logi-
cal bureau of the "ko-ko" variety, he will
be able to mention 1t and be sure OF getting
what he wants.
There are more queer fruits already grown
10 this country, by the way, than are proba-
bly, dreamed of In your philosophy. D reader.
For instance, there Is the pomegranate, which
grows on bush and Is semi-tropicaL In
ancient days 1t seems to have been much
priced, but nobody cares for 1t nowadays,
though itgr0ws abundantly In California and
the Gulf States The date bears well In
southern California, Arizona and New Mex
leo, and it is only question OF time when It's
cultivation will become great industry In
this country. The tree Is a very beautiful
one, with BLUSH green leaves, all growing
from a single stem, with central bud at the
point of the leaves outspringing, where hang
great clusters Of the yellow dates, as sweet
as honey to the taste The date needs very
peculiar conditions for its growth. The soil
must be rich and very moist about the roots
of the tree, while the air must be exceedingly
dry OF course, then, 1t Is easily cultivated
In any dry climate where water can be sup
piled to the roots by irrigation.
The fig, like the date, Is seni-tropical. ex-
tending up to the Car0linas and running
around the Gulf coast, where 10 Is largely
grown, to California. The raising OF this
fruit is becoming an extensive industry In
California. where the best authorities think
Its cultivation has gigantic commercial
future. 1t grows there no better than on the
Gulf, but in the latter region there Is not the
climate necessary for natural drying. and
artificial drying In evaporators Is costly.
Another semi-tropical fruit that has great
future in California, though IL Is also grown
in Texas and Arizona, Is the olive. California
oil is beginning to be seen on the market.
aud farmers out there are setting out olives
this year in patches oftwenty. forty and sixty
acres.
Among strictly tropical fruits, which tech
nically include all those that will not stand
a touch Of frost, are, 10 begin with, the cocoa
nut, which is largely grown In southern
Florida. There are already five thousand
trees in bearing at Lake Worth alone. and
orchards are found from Jupiter Inlet down
to Key West, and up the west coast as far as
the CalOosahatchie. The gIava Is extensively
grown in Florida, In the Indian River region
and on the west coast, particularly In the
nelghbOrhood Of Tampa and Manatee. IL Is
soft little fruit, too perishable to reach
Northern markets, save In the shape Of jelly
anu mdfmdlaut. Inc bdmdIluu ~ iOuuu
nowhere In the United States, except at Lake
Worth. liz resembles small greenish bean,
curled up, and grows upon very ornamental
tree with plnnated foliage. 1t Is picked and
preserved in cans; likewise 1t makes . pala-
table drink, chopped up in water. The
mango found on the Indian River and at Lake
Worth looks like stumpy yellowish cucum-
Der with red cheek.
The Avocado pear is not really pear. at
| all, but only pear. shaped. 1t Is purplish In
| side and grtenish outs de, aud has one seed
| bigger than an egg. The pulp Is rich and OF
| the consistency OF stiff butter. In fact 1t y
| called by the sailors "mldshipman's butter"
| and is spread on bread for eating. IL also Is
| grown at Lake Worth, like the egg-fruit,
| which Is about the size and shape OF an egg.
/ and its meats resembling the yellow OF
hard-boiled egg in appearance and consis-
tency. The sugar apple Of south Florida
| looks like short pine cone, corrugated and
| full of small seeds surrounded by pulp. The
| sapodilla is smooth shiny fruit, two or
three inches in diameter, Of rusty color;
| with black seeds and sugary pulp. And
these are only few of the strange fruits
grown in this country, of which the Agricul-
tural Department Is trying to make the most
1t can in the way Of usefulness