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Fruits (continued)
Fruit Grows, singly or in pairs, but seldom more — some of them are round, and others long and are from 3 to 6 inches Diameter; the fruit while unripe is a bright Green and rind is rough; as it ripens the rind becomes smoother and the Collour changes to a brownish with a Yellow tinge and appears spotted with White, from the Gum which forces its way through the rind and drys on it and the fruit is then fit for use, & if it stays but a few days on the tree after the Gum has made its appearance it Grows Mellow & falls, and the tast becomes sweet & is too luiscious to eat till it is mixed with some which has been made into Mahee, but if Gathered before it falls its Collour inside when baked is Yellowish and its Consistence like that of a Potatoe tho the Taste is not like any thing that I recollect in Europe, America or India, but it is nevertheless pleasant and agreeable, and tho when dressd it will not keep good more then two Days, yet it is so plenty as to answer evry purpose of Bread and is here the Staff of Life. The Method of making it into Mahee for store shall be described in its place.The Heare or Cocoa Nut is the next Fruit and is a Very Serviceable tree; the Nuts when Young are excellent drink and when Old Make Oil, Sauce for fish puddings &c.— the Shells make Cups for eating and drinking — the Husk makes lasshings for their Canoes and with the leaves they make temporary huts, screens for their houses, baskets &c.— and the trunk when past bearing makes fuel, tho they stand many Years Good except they Chance to loose their top by lightning which they often do — more then any other trees —they are always Green & shed some of their leaves, or rather Branches evry Year, still Growing taller as they Grow older.
The Vee or Yellow Apple is fine Delicious fruit growing to the size of an English Apple but different in smell taste & Substance, the pulp being Contained in a stringy substance round the seed— it has a thin tough rind like a plumb and its Collour when ripe is a fine Gold, its Flavour superior to the Pine, and it has no bad quality tho eaten to excess. It Grows on a fine Statly tree which sheds its leaves regularly, the leaves begin to fall in September and by Christmas the Fruit & leaves appear, and the Fruit is full ripe in June. Some of these trees are 9 feet round, but the wood is soft & spungy & fit for no use but fuel it will either Grow from the Seed or by lopping of a Branch, which when stuck in the Ground takes root and soon bears fruit.
The Eheyya is another kind of an Apple, more like the English, but the taste is more watery & insipid, when ripe it is of a fine red
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Indigenous Histories |  |
© Derived from the 1935 Print Edition edited by Owen Rutter, page 145, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-morrison-011.html