Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/273

Rh grown, while it is green and hard; then they bake it in an oven which scorcheth the rind and maketh it black; but they scrape off the outside black crust, and there remains a tender thin crust; and the inside is soft, tender, and white, like the crumb of a penny loaf. There is neither seed nor stone in the inside, but all of a pure substance like bread. It must be eaten now, for if it be kept above twenty-four hours, it grows harsh and choky, but it is very pleasant before it is too stale. This fruit lasts in season eight months in the year, during which the natives eat no other sort of bread.” This quaint description is singularly accurate, and has been confirmed by many modern travellers. The timber of the bread-fruit, though soft, is much used by the natives in the construction of houses and boats; the flowers, when dried, form a sort of tinder; the viscous fluid that oozes from the trunk serves for bird-lime and glue; the leaves are used for towels; and from the inner bark a coarse kind of cloth is made. Thus we see that food and raiment grow on this wonderful plant.

The cabbage-palm of Surinam is another of our wonderful plants. This gigantic tree has a stem about seven feet in circumference at the base, which ascends straight and tapering to a vast height, and bears a plume of graceful foliage. The cabbage lies concealed within the leaves that surround the top of the trunk. It is about two or three feet long and as thick as a man’s arm. When eaten raw, it