Continuing our list of tropical fruits, we now come to the papaw, one of
our most wholesome and useful fruits. It is grown all along our eastern
seaboard in situations that are free from frost. It comes into bearing
early, and is a heavy cropper. Like the other tropical fruits already
described, it does best in our warmer parts, coming to maturity earlier,
and producing better fruit. In many of the Northern coastal scrubs it is
often met with growing wild, and producing fruit in abundance, the seeds
from which the trees have been produced having been dropped by birds or
distributed by other natural agencies. The papaw fruit resembles a rock
melon somewhat in shape and flavour, the fruit being produced in the
axil of the leaves all along the main stem, where they are clustered
thickly together. The tree does best on well-drained soils, and is very
sensitive to the presence of clay or stagnant water at the roots, hence
it usually does best on scrub land or land well supplied with humus. It
is propagated entirely from seed, which grows readily in such soils, and
under favourable conditions will bear its first fruit when about ten to
twelve months old, and continue to bear for three or four years or even
longer. When the trees becomes old, however, the fruit decreases in size
and deteriorates in quality, so that it is necessary to plant a number
yearly in order to keep up a regular supply. It is a very handsome tree,
with large spreading leaves on long stems, beneath which is its cluster
of fruit--as many as 100 fruits being sometimes found in different
stages of development on the one plant. The fruit ranges in size from 2
lb. to some 6 lb. in weight, and when ripe it is of a greenish-yellow or
sometimes orange colour. The flesh is yellow, and when quite ripe it is
moderately juicy, and of a flavour that it not always appreciated at
first, but which one soon becomes very partial to. It more nearly
resembles the flavour of a rock melon than that of any other fruit, and
the seeds, which are found clustered in the centre of the fruit, have a
flavour that closely resembles that of seeds of the nasturtium. Both the
seeds and the fruit contain an active principle called papain, which is
really a vegetable pepsin, that has the effect of greatly assisting in
the assimilation of all food with which it is eaten, hence it is a
valuable remedy in the case of dyspepsia, and persons who take the fruit
regularly are never subject to this exceedingly troublesome disease. The
fruit can be used both as a vegetable and as a fruit, the former in its
green state, when it is boiled and served with melted butter, resembles
a vegetable marrow or squash, but is superior to either of these
vegetables. As a fruit it is either used by itself, or in conjunction
with other fruits it forms the basis of a fruit salad. It is largely
used in the North, and its cultivation is steadily spreading South, as
its valuable properties are becoming better known. Its cultivation is
very simple. The seeds are either planted where the tree is to remain,
or are raised in a bed and transplanted to their permanent position in
the orchard when strong enough to stand shifting, care being taken to
select a dull moist day. The young plants are protected from the sun for
a few days till they have become established, after which all that is
necessary is to keep down weeds and to work the soil round them,
taking care not to injure the roots. A good mulch of decomposed
vegetable matter round the plants is an advantage, but they are usually
so easily grown that little extra care is given to them. The papaw bears
male and female flowers, which may be on the same trees, but are usually
on different trees, so that it is usual to speak of male and female
trees. This is, however, a mistake, as according to Bailey the plant is
polygamous--that is to say, male, female, or hermaphrodite flowers may
be found on the same or on distinct plants. The male flowers are usually
on long scantily-branched auxiliary panicles, whereas the female flowers
are mostly in the axils of the leaves close to the stem. The two trees
are not distinguishable from each other till they come into flower,
hence it is advisable to set the young plants fairly close
together--say, 6 feet apart--and thin out the male trees when same can
be distinguished by their blossoms.
Besides its use as a fruit and vegetable, the papaw makes a fair
conserve and an excellent sauce, and its medicinal principle, "papain,"
is an article of commerce.
[Illustration: Papaw in fruit, near Brisbane.]