Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 52.djvu/801

Rh are usually sold for a few cents, often being placed in small lots upon the ground or sidewalk. Any one wishing to buy a bushel of them, or, in fact, any other fruit, must visit half a dozen places in order to secure the quantity desired. Unripe cocoanuts are highly in favor. After the fluid with which the nut is filled has been drunk, the albumin or jellylike substance is eaten with a spoon. Hence the term "jelly cocoanut." These can not be procured from the tall trees, as the method of gathering the ripe fruit would break those that are unripe. Boys climb the tall, straight trunks and



throw down the ripe fruit, which does not crack, or it is sometimes allowed to remain until it drops of itself. It is usual to pay the boys by giving them two out of every dozen. Sweet potatoes and yams are used extensively for food, and both are said to contain more nutriment than the common potato. The sugar cane, from eight to ten feet in length, is often seen in the market. A native referring to it will say that he has had a "long breakfast." Bananas, plantains, and oranges are among the most abundant fruits. The banana