The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-14

full beauty, it stands unsurpassed as
a shade tree, and its strong, slender
and flexible limbs and branches cover
ed with feathery acacia-like foliage,
renders it particularly useful as
wind-break and resistant to damage
from high winds The thick pods con-
tain an acid pulp of pleasant flavor
much esteemed i'm the East Indies for
culinary use among the native pOpu
latiOn. and preserved in syrup in the
West Indies and exported. Hitherto
no attention has been paid to this fruit
Oh the Keys, but its preservation will
be found remunerative when its value
is more appreciated.
The Pawpaw, Carica papaya, a
large herbaceous plant rather than a
tree, luXuriates on the Keys, wherever
the soil is more abundant. The large,
palmate. deeply lObed leaves, nearly
two feet i'm diameter. attached to a
usually single trunk, gives it a palm
like and tropical aspect. The plant
is diOceOus, Or carrying male and fe
male flowers on separate plants.
though, occasionally. trees are found
with perfect flowers. The variability
is extremely great with present meth
DDS of selection and propagation. Less
than one per cent. from batch of
seedlings bear superior fruit, which
accounts for the scarcity of the Paw
paw in the market Under favorable
conditions, the Pawpaw natures fruit
in less than one year from planting
of the seed. Large fruits. 40 inches
long with a diameter of 81 inches
weighing SO pounds. are seen occa-
siOna1ly. The numerous seeds are
contained in a central cavity When
fully mature, the fruit assumes a deep
orange color. 1t is decidedly sweet.
Like so many other tropical fruits
liking for this delicious fruit has in
most cases to be acquired.
The fruit can be utilized immature
also, by slicing it and boiling similar
to squash. The leaves and green fruit |
contain an active digestive ferment. |
possessing the property to render meat
tender if the leaves are macerated and |
the meat rubbed with and wrapped up |
in the same
The humid climate of the Keys and |
proximity to the water will ALWAYS
present an insurmOuntable obstacle
to the production of dates on a large
scale. but healthy seedlings growing
on the Keys, yielding good yearly
crops of dates. demonstrate that the
local demand for fresh dates in F1ori
da could be supplied with fruit from
the Keys. if a sufficient number Of
trees were planted.
Other fruit trees that grow here.
though as vet little use has been found
for the fruit. are: Spanish Lime. also
called Ginep. MelicOcoa bijuga. bear
ing fruit about the size of a large
grape and containing a comparatively
large seed, and Mammeapple. Mammea
with fruits measuring 3-5
inches in diameter This fruit also !
propOrtiOnately very large
seeds. Both trees are quite ornament
al. l
The Semi-trOpical fruits are repre- ,
Sented by the POmegranate. Punica
granatum. which is more ornamental
than useful. and the ''Key'' Crane. an
Did variety now probably cXtin f i'm !
English hOthOuSes. from where if WAS
Introduced to the Bahama Islands and
rom there later to the Florida Erys
inferior in quality ana productiveness :;
% the California and eastern cranes
possesses the merit of adaptation TO :,
'ery adverse conditions !,
of trees Indigenous to the Kevs DOS n
esslng latent qualities that NAV he
susceptible to improvement through n
InV...