147. _The GUAVA, or BAY PLUM, is a West Indian fruit, of which there are
two kinds, one white and round, and the other red and pear-shaped. The
former is produced by a tree_ (Psidium pomiferum) _which has
sharp-pointed and highly ribbed leaves, and flowers three on each stalk;
and the latter by a tree_ (Psidium pyriferum) _with oval leaves and
single-stalked flowers._
Equally delicious and wholesome, these _fruits_ are in the highest
estimation in the countries where they are produced. The rind or skin is
lined with an apple-like substance, which is used for tarts and other sweet
preparations. It is also stewed and eaten with milk; and, in this form, is
generally thought better than any other stewed fruit; from the same part a
marmalade is made. This rind encloses an agreeable pulp, mixed with
innumerable small seeds. The whole fruit is eaten raw, or prepared as a
sweetmeat in various ways; the most common form in which we see it is that
of a jelly.
The _wood_ is used for fuel, and also makes excellent charcoal.
148. _The COMMON MYRTLE_ (Myrtus communis) _is a well-known ornamental
evergreen shrub, which is cultivated chiefly in greenhouses in this
country, but grows wild in the countries of the South of Europe._
Although this shrub is cultivated with us chiefly for ornament, it is of
considerable utility to the inhabitants of the South of Europe. Its _young
shoots_ are used for tanning leather; and both its _leaves_ and _berries_
are employed in medicine. From the former a distilled water is obtained,
which is sometimes used in gargles. The berries are likewise distilled; and
an oil prepared from them has considerable repute as a means of thickening
the hair.
149. _ALL-SPICE, or PIMENTO, is the dried berry of a West Indian species
of myrtle_ (Myrtus pimenta, Fig. 45.)
_This tree grows to the height of twenty feet and upwards, and has
somewhat oval leaves about four inches long, of deep shining green
colour, and numerous bunches of white flowers, each with four small
petals._
In the whole vegetable creation there is scarcely any tree more beautiful
or more fragrant than a young pimento about the month of July. Branched on
all sides, richly clad with deep green leaves, which are relieved by an
exuberance of white and strongly aromatic flowers, it attracts the notice
of all who approach it.
Pimento trees grow spontaneously, and in great abundance, in many parts of
Jamaica; but they cannot be propagated without great difficulty. The usual
method of making a new pimento walk, or plantation, is to appropriate for
this purpose a piece of woody ground in the neighbourhood of an already
existing walk, or in a part of the country where the scattered trees are
found in a native state. The other trees are cut down; and, in a year or
two, young pimento plants are found to spring up in all parts, supposed to
have been produced from berries scattered there by birds, which eagerly
devour them.
About the month of September, and not long after the blossoms have fallen,
the berries are in a fit state to be gathered. At this time, though not
quite ripe, they are full grown, and about the size of pepper-corns.
They are gathered by the hand; and one labourer on a tree will strip them
off so quickly as to employ three below in picking them up; and an
industrious picker will fill a bag of seventy pounds' weight in a day. The
berries are then spread on a terrace, in the sun, for about seven days, to
be dried; but this is an operation which requires great care, from the
necessity of keeping them perfectly free from moisture. By the drying they
lose their green colour, and become reddish brown; and the process is known
to be completed by their colour, and by the rattling of the seeds within
the berries. They are then packed into bags or hogsheads for the market.
When the berries are quite ripe, they are of a dark purple colour, and
filled with a sweet pulp.
Pimento is thought to resemble in flavour a mixture of cinnamon, nutmegs,
and cloves, whence it has obtained the name of "all-spice." It is much
employed in cookery; and is chiefly used in whole grains. It is also
employed in medicine, as an agreeable aromatic; and forms the basis of a
distilled water, a spirit, and an essential oil. The _leaves_ of the
pimento trees yield in distillation an odoriferous oil, which is not
unfrequently used in medicinal preparations, instead of oil of cloves.
150. _The PEACH is a large, downy, and well-known garden fruit_
(Amygdalus Persica), _which is supposed to have been originally
introduced into Europe from Persia, and was first brought into England
about the year 1562._
This rich and delicious fruit is highly and deservedly esteemed at table,
as an article in our desserts; and, when ripe and fresh, is grateful and
wholesome, seldom disagreeing with the stomach, unless this organ be not in
an healthy state, or the fruit be eaten to excess. When preserved in wine,
brandy, or sugar, it loses its good properties. The _kernels_ yield a
salubrious bitter. The _flowers_, which are very beautiful, and appear
early in the spring, emit an agreeable odour, have a bitterish taste, and
are used for medical purposes. The _leaves_ are occasionally employed in
cookery, but they ought not to be used without great caution, on account of
their injurious properties.
There are many varieties of the peach, some of which are much more esteemed
than others. The mode in which the trees are usually propagated is by a
process termed budding, or grafting upon the stock of some other tree (see
p. 147); and, by this process, those of any favourite kind may be exactly
obtained.
151. The NECTARINE is a smooth-skinned variety of the peach, but of richer
and more delicious flavour. The culture and management of the two kinds are
exactly the same; and in all the circumstances of their growth, wood,
leaves, and flowers, they precisely resemble each other.
152. _The COMMON or SWEET ALMOND is a soft and pleasant-flavoured kernel,
contained in a nut which is of flattish shape, and has a tender shell
with numerous small holes on the outside._
_The almond tree_ (Amygdalus communis, Fig. 46) _is usually twelve or
fourteen feet high. Its beautiful pink flowers of five petals grow in
pairs, and appear early in the spring. The leaves are somewhat oval,
pointed, and delicately serrated at the edges._
Our shrubberies contain no tree the flowers of which are more beautiful
than those of the almond; and these flowers appear in March and April, a
season when few other parts of the vegetable creation have recovered from
their wintry state. Though known to the ancients from the most remote
periods of antiquity, the almond tree has only been cultivated in England
since the year 1562, and this almost wholly on account of the elegant
appearance of its flowers; as the climate of Great Britain is not
sufficiently warm for the fruit to be perfected with us.
The almonds that are consumed in this country are imported, sometimes in
the shell, but much more commonly without, from France, Spain, Italy, and
the Levant; and they are packed in casks, boxes, and bales. The province of
Valencia had formerly great celebrity for its almonds; but the cultivation
of the trees in that part of Spain has for several years been much
neglected.
The chief uses of sweet almonds are in confectionary and cooking. They are
also eaten with raisins in desserts after dinner; but they should be well
chewed, as every piece that is swallowed entire is indigestible. By
pressure, they yield a considerable proportion, sometimes nearly half their
weight, of _oil_. Indeed this is so plentiful that it may even be squeezed
out of the kernel with the fingers. Some preparations of almonds are used
in medicine, particularly that called _milk of almonds_, which is formed of
pounded almonds, loaf-sugar, and water, well mixed together. In some parts
of the East Indies, it is said that almonds supply the place of small
money.
153. _BITTER ALMONDS are in no respect different from sweet almonds,
either as to the appearance of the kernels themselves, or the trees which
produce them, except somewhat in the size of the flowers and fruit._
Like sweet almonds, they yield a large portion of _oil_. This has no
bitterness; but the substance which remains after the pressure is intensely
bitter. If these almonds be eaten freely, they occasion sickness and
vomiting; and, to many quadrupeds and birds, they are a fatal poison. There
was formerly a notion, but it is an erroneous one, that the eating of them
would prevent the intoxicating effects of wine. They are frequently used,
instead of apricot kernels, in ratafia, and sometimes are employed in
making a counterfeit cherry-brandy. The oil and emulsions of bitter almonds
are used in medicine: and a powder and paste, for washing the hands is made
both from them and from sweet almonds. By confectioners they are much in
request for flavouring biscuits and other articles.
154. _The POMEGRANATE is an apple-shaped fruit with thick rind, and
crowned with the leaves or teeth of the calyx. It is the produce of an
evergreen shrub_ (Punica granatum, Fig. 47) _which grows wild in the
southern parts of Europe._
_This shrub is usually from fifteen to twenty feet high. The branches are
armed with spines; and the leaves are oblong, pointed, and dark green.
The flowers, which are of a rich scarlet colour, have five rounded
petals._
By the Greeks and Romans almost every part of the pomegranate tree (the
root, leaves, flowers, and fruit) was considered to possess medical
properties of a very remarkable and even marvellous description; and the
country then chiefly celebrated for the production of it was that adjacent
to the city of Carthage. The pomegranate is now, however, in little esteem,
except on account of its fruit; the pulp or juice of which is pleasant to
the palate, and, in common with other summer fruits, allays heat and
mitigates thirst, but has a slightly astringent flavour. This pulp is red,
is contained in transparent membranes, and included in nine distinct cells.
The tough _rind_ of the fruit, which is of a bitter and astringent nature,
was employed by the ancients in the dressing of leather; and it is still
used in some parts of Germany, together with the _bark_ of the tree, in the
preparation and dyeing of red leather in imitation of what is called
Morocco leather.
Pomegranates were first cultivated in England about the year 1596; but the
fruit grown in this country seldom attains a delicacy of flavour equal to
that which is imported from Spain, Italy, and other warm climates.
155. _The CHERRY is a fruit of the prune or plum tribe, the original
stock of which is the wild cherry_ (Prunus cerasus) _of our woods._
The gradual effects of cultivation, as they regard the cherry, have been
the production of several kinds, which, both in size and flavour,
infinitely exceed the fruit of the parent stock, or wild cherry of the
woods. The kinds that are best known are the _May Duke, Early Kentish
Cherry, White Heart, and Black Heart Cherries_. The trees are propagated by
grafting (see p. 147) them usually upon the stocks of wild black and red
cherry trees, which are reared for that purpose.
This agreeable _fruit_ is eaten either fresh or dried. It is sometimes
preserved with sugar as a sweetmeat; is made into jam; used in preparations
of the liqueur called cherry-brandy: and made into wine. From wild black
cherries the Swiss distil an ardent spirit, by the sale of which to the
French and Germans they derive considerable profit.
The _wood_ of the cherry-tree, which is hard and tough, is much used,
particularly by turners and cabinet-makers on the Continent, for the
manufacture of chairs and other furniture. The _gum_ that exudes from the
bark is, in many respects, equal to gum arabic (273); and is considered
very nutritive. Hasselquist informs us that, during a siege, more than 100
men were kept alive for nearly two months, without any other sustenance
than a little of this gum, which they occasionally took into their mouths
and suffered gradually to dissolve.
156. _The APRICOT_ (Prunus Armeniaca) _is a fruit of the plum tribe,
which grows wild in several parts of Armenia and was first introduced
into this country about the middle of the sixteenth century._
Some persons are inclined to consider the apricot as the most delicate of
all our hardy fruits. For pastry certainly none is more excellent. It is
used for tarts, both green and when ripe; it is also preserved with sugar
in both these states, and is sometimes dried as a sweetmeat. Care, however,
should be taken to gather it before it becomes soft and mealy. The
_kernels_ of apricots have a pleasantly bitter flavour, and answer much
better for several purposes in confectionary than bitter almonds, which are
usually applied. They likewise contain a sweet oil, which, like that of
almonds, was formerly used in emulsions.
The _gum_ that issues from the apricot tree is nearly similar to that of
the cherry (152). The _wood_ is coarse-grained and soft, and consequently
is seldom used in carpentry.
Apricot trees are chiefly grown against walls, and are propagated by
grafting upon plum-tree stocks.
157. _The COMMON or DOMESTIC PLUM, in all its varieties, has been derived
from a wild species of plum-tree_ (Prunus domestica), _which grows in
hedge-rows and thickets in several parts of England; and is distinguished
by its branches being without thorns, and its fruit-stalks being single._
Were it not a well-established fact, few persons would suppose that the
_magnum bonum_, or _egg plum_, the _green gage_, and several others, which
are now common in our gardens, are indebted, for their parent stock, to the
wild plum above-mentioned. These are all used at table; and, when
sufficiently ripe, and eaten in moderate quantity, are pleasant and
wholesome fruits, but, in an immature state, they are very unwholesome.
_Prunes_ and _French plums_ are the dried fruit of different kinds of
plum-trees. They are usually packed in boxes, and are imported from the
Continent, but particularly from the neighbourhood of
Marseilles.--Brignolles, a town of Provence, about thirty miles from
Marseilles, is one of the most famous places in France for dried prunes.
_Prunes_ or _St. Catherine's plums_, constitute a lucrative branch of
traffic, which is almost exclusively carried on in Tours and Chatelherault.
Prunes are sometimes employed in medicine, but French plums are chiefly
used at table.
The _wood_ of the plum-tree is of little value; but the _bark_ is in
occasional request as affording a yellow dye.
158. _The BULLACE PLUM is a small violet-coloured fruit of globular
shape, produced by a shrub_ (Prunus insititia) _which grows wild in our
hedges, and is known by its branches being thorny, and its fruit-stalks
in pairs._
The plum has a rough, but not unpleasantly acid taste, especially after it
has been mellowed by the frost. A conserve, called _bullace cheese_, is
sometimes prepared by mixture of the pulp of the bullace with about thrice
its weight of sugar. In several parts of Germany this fruit is preserved in
vinegar and spice; and is occasionally used, in the manner of cherries, for
the flavouring of brandy. An infusion of the _flowers_, sweetened with
sugar, is sometimes used medicinally for children. The _wood_ is pleasingly
veined, and is much valued by turners.
159. _The SLOE is a small, round, and nearly black kind of plum_ (Prunus
spinosa), _of extremely austere taste, which is common in thickets and
hedges throughout nearly every part of England._
_The shrub that produces it has thorny branches, and the fruit-stalks are
single._
The harshness and austerity of the sloe are proverbial. Its _juice_, if
mixed with British made wines, communicates to them a red colour, and an
astringent flavour, somewhat resembling that of port wine; a fact too well
known to some of the dealers in that favourite liquor. The juice of unripe
sloes, dried over a gentle fire, so nearly resembles the Egyptian acacia
(273), that it has in many instances been substituted for that substance;
it is, however, harder, heavier, of darker colour, and somewhat sharper
taste than the genuine kind. A conserve of this fruit, made with three
times its weight of double-refined sugar, has been used with success as a
gargle for sore throats.
An infusion of the _flowers_ in water, or the flowers boiled in milk, are
sometimes employed medicinally; and the _bark_, reduced to powder, has been
efficaciously administered in agues. If boiled in ley, the bark yields a
red dye. The young and tender _leaves_ of the sloe afford a substitute for
tea, but some persons consider them unwholesome. The juice of the fruit,
mixed with green vitriol, becomes an indelible black fluid, either for
dyeing linen, or as writing-ink. The _wood_, being extremely tough, is
converted into walking-sticks, and made into the teeth of rakes; it is also
sometimes used by turners. Dr. Withering has remarked, that, from certain
effects which he observed to follow the prick of the _thorns_ of the sloe,
he was inclined to consider they had some poisonous quality, especially in
autumn.