The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-03-17
FINE FRUITS AT
SOUTH FLORIDA

fruit that is rarely found in northern
markets The fruit resembles small
orange, and is considered delicious
by the crackers" Very few north
ern people, however, like the fruit on
first trial. The odor is so powerful
and penetrating that it antagonizes
the senses. Like tomatoes, an Ape
tite must be acquired for them.
THE aqua cata, OF alligator pear,
is not a pear at all; it has one large
seed in the center which weighs two
ounces i ma good specimen. The fla
yor transcends that of the finest
muskmeIons The fruit is eaten with
pepper and salt. 1t contains no acid
btu its rich, marrowy, vegetable-like
pulp renders it fine article of food.
One full grown speciment is as much
as any one can eat, and more nearly
takes the place of meat than any 9th
er fruit grown in the south. A fine
speciment of this tree is growing near
the house in which We are domiciled
for the winter. 1t is about thirty feet
in height and bears some resem-
blance to our pear tree The fruit is
too tender to bear shipping to dis
tan markets. The mango is a fruit
that is deservedly popular in the
south, on account of it's handsome APP
pearance and its novel flavor. 1t is
pear-shaped, fattened and covered
with russet-brown and greenishred
splotches. The seed is very large
and fiat, the flesh adhering to it very
firmly. The tree is exceedingly pro-
life and the fruit bears shipping.
The tree begins to bear when it is
three years old. This variety of fruit
can be grown from Key West to
Tampa
.'Sappadillo like number of other
tender fruits, is produced only in the
extreme southern portion of the
state. OF this fruit there are eight
varieties, all of them good; but the
egg-shaped one is considered the
best. The tree that bears this deli
cious fruit is small, hardly ever ex-
ceeding four inches in diameter. Like
the plantain, the sapadillo bears the
third year after planting.
The Largest Fruit.
aThe guanayana, the largest fruit
grown in the state is Indigenous to
the extreme southern portion of the
peninsula. The fruit is called sour
sop by the natives. Four pounds lis.
the average weight Of the fruit. The
seeds are numerous, small and black
floating in a snowy, custard-like pulp
which has fine flavor, unlike that
of any other. fruit. Ice cream and
cooling drinks are made from it in
Key West The exterior of the fruit
/ so agreenish color, irregular in
shape and covered with soft prickles.
The fruit is rare, even in Key West,
and commands as high as so cents
apiece.
The Jamaica apple, or cherimoyer,
seems 10 be a misnomer, as am in
formed it bears no resemblance to
northern apple. The tree is small and
is by no means a prolific bearer and
grows only in the extreme southern
portion of the state.
The sugar apple resembles the
Jamaica fruit in appearance, but is
very different in flavor. The; pulp
is exceedingly rich, resembling can
died honey and has peculiar grainy
texture. Like the .pawpaw Of the
middle states, and other members of
the Anona family, the seeds are very
smooth, round and black.
"The West India pawpaw fcarica-
papaya,) one of the foo dplants of
middle and southern Florida, resem-
bles large castor oil plant in its
general outline, but has a, tuft of
caves at the top resembling the top
OF a cabbage head palmetto, the
leaves bearing striking resemblance
to the castor oil plant. The tree va
ries from six to eight feet in height
and bearS fruit of the size and form
of large cantaloupe. The interior
pulp resembles a muskmelon in ap-
pearance and taste. From the pulp
and seeds a valuable medical is pre-
pared and placed on the market IN
der the head of Papian tablets.
''The tarmarind (tamaridus indica)