Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 18.djvu/400

386 carapa-tree appears to have been formerly more, abundant in the inhabited districts than it now is, but it has been sought after on account of the qualities of its wood till it has nearly disappeared. It is still very abundant in the interior, where it grows near the rivers, and on moist lands. In some places, it is said, the ground is so thickly covered



with the fruits that they come up to the knees of a person walking among them. The principal crop is gathered between February and June or July. Another crop ripens in September and October, but the oil is of an inferior quality. The fruits do not keep well, but are subject to a mold which reduces them to dust, sprout readily, and are