Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/596

 592 CUSK CUSTAKD APPLE abounding in wisdom, and enriched with very many illustrations and examples from sacred history, evidently written to allay any dissat- isfaction among the colonists. He sailed for England the next day, in the same vessel by which he came, which was captured by the French, plundered, and detained two weeks on their coast. After his arrival he issued an eloquent vindication of the colonial enter- prise, and appeal for Christian missions to the American Indians, which was the first pub- lished argument for English emigration to this country. In 1623, with Edward Winslow, en- voy from New Plymouth, he procured from King James, through Lord Sheffield, a charter for territory on Cape Ann. Early in 1625, while preparing to emigrate thither to join his son, and make New Plymouth his permanent residence, he died. II. Thomas, son of the preceding, born in England in 1608, died at Plymouth, Dec. 11, 1691. He came with his father to New Plymouth in the Fortune, Nov. 9, 1621, and was left in the care of Gov. Brad- ford, in whose family he lived till manhood. He married Mary, third child of Isaac Allerton, who died in 1699, aged 90, the last survivor of the Mayflower passengers. He is described in the Plymouth first church records as an unusu- ally temperate, studious, and peaceable man, much beloved by his people. A massive granite monument to the memory of these Cushmans was erected at Plymouth by their descendants, and consecrated Sept. 16, 1858. CUSK, a fish belonging to the cod family or gadidce, and to the genus Irosimus (Cuv.), char- acterized by an elongated body, a single dorsal fin extending the whole length of the back, fleshy ventral fins, and one barbel at the chin. The American cusk, which is considered specifi- cally distinct from the European, is the B.flaves- cens (Lesueur). The color varies from brownish with yellowish sides to whitish with brownish patches ; the immature fish is of a uniform dark slate color, sometimes with transverse yellow bands ; the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are bor- dered with bluish black, and edged with white ; the dorsal and anal are continued to the base of the tail. The length of the fish varies from 2 to 3 ft. and more, one of the first dimensions weighing about 4 Ibs. It is taken generally on the middle bank, with the hook, by the deep- American Cusk (Brosimus flavescens). water cod-fishers. In spring it is seen in the Boston market, when it is less esteemed than cod, but in winter it commands a higher price ; as a fresh fish it is considered a delicacy, and salted is generally preferred to cod. It is found along the shore of the British provinces, and even in high latitudes. The European spe- cies, B. vulgaris (Cuv.), called torsk or tusk, is also a northern fish, plentiful among the Shetland islands, where it forms a considerable article of trade ; it is caught, salted, and dried in the same manner as cod ; it is common on the coasts of Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe islands. It resembles very much the B.flaves- cens, and the two are considered by some as varieties of one species. CUSTARD APPLE (anona reticulata), a species of dicotyledonous plants belonging to the natu- ral order anonacece or anonads, of which it is so typical as to have given to the whole family the common name of the custard-apple order or tribe. The custard apple properly so called (although the name is often given to several allied species) is a small tree, indigenous to the West Indies and South America. Like the other plants of its order, it has the calyx and Custard Apple (Anona reticulata). sepals of its flowers arranged in threes ; the seed largely consists of the albumen, which is ruminated or perforated. The fruit is large, dark brown, and marked with depressions like those on a young pine cone, looking as though it had been " quilted." The pulp is of reddish yellow color and pleasant taste ; it is soft and creamy, like custard. The cherimoyer (A. cJierimolia) of Peru is very similar to the pre- ceding, but superior in flavor. The sour sop of the West Indies (A. muricata) has a larger fruit, sometimes reaching the weight of two pounds. It is of a light green color, with a prickly skin ; the pulp is white and acid. The sweet sop, the fruit of A. squamosa, a tree common both to the East and West Indies, is covered with thick scales, and the leaves of the tree have a disagreeable odor; but the pulp of the fruit is pleasant, though it is not so much relished by Europeans as by the na- tives. The anona palustris, a tree also indi- genous to the West Indies, is valuable for the