LITCHI-Dimocarpus litchi.-LONGAN- These fruits are natives of the south of China, where they are held in the highest estimation. They have thence been introduced into many parts of the East Indies, and to the gardens of the curious in some places of Europe. John Knight, Esq., of Lee Castle, near Kidderminster, presented the Horticultural Society with some of the fruit that had ripened in his hot-house in 1816, and it was found to be as good as that which is produced in China. The litchi was introduced into this country by the celebrated Warren Hastings, Esq., in 1786: the longan had been introduced before. The trees on which these fruits are produced have a considerable resemblance to each other,are, in fact, so much alike, that they are distinguished only by the flowers of the litchi being without petals, while those of the longan have eight; and the fruit of the litchi being larger, and generally of a red colour, while that of the longan is always brown. They are moderately sized trees, with brown bark, which is very bright in the twigs. The leaves are large, have some resemblance to those of the laurel, are placed alternate, and hang very gracefully. The fruit is produced in bunches, which are pendent from the extremities of the twigs; and there is a considerable number of fruit in the bunches, not close together, like grapes, but on stalks, the principal ones from six inches to a foot in length; while those of the individual fruit are from one inch to two. Of both species there are many varieties in China, which differ in the time of ripening, and the form and qualities of the fruit. In general, the litchi is about an inch and a half, or from that to two inches, in diameter, and the longan about an inch and a quarter; and both are covered with small scaly processes, which are most prominent in the longan. Both fruits are covered by tough, thin, leathery coats, within which is the pulp, and in the inside of that a single brown seed. The pulp is colourless, semi-transparent, slightly sweet, and very grateful to the taste. The Chinese prefer the longan, to which they ascribe medicinal qualities; but Europeans give the preference to the litchi, probably on account of its larger size, and the greater beauty of its colour. The litchi is often brought to this country in a dried state, in which, though the pulp be much diminished in size, it retains a very considerable portion of its original flavour. From the beauty and flavour of these fruits, and the perfection to which they have been brought in this country, in all cases where they have had a fair trial, it is by no means unlikely that they may become common as hot-house fruit. The Jujube (Zizyphus jujuba) belongs to the very numerous genus of the buckthorns (Rhamni). It is found in the south of Europe; but nowhere is it brought to so much perfection as in China, where there are upwards of sixty kinds, all of them highly esteemed. In the opinion of Mr. Lindley, (Trans. Hort. Soc., v. 123,) the Chinese jujube might be fruited in greenhouses in England, with a very moderate degree of artificial heat. The Kaki, or Chinese Date-plum (Diospyrus kaki), is a tree of a middle size, bearing a fruit about the size of an apple, of a reddish orange colour, and with a very luscious, brownish, semi-transparent pulp. The fruit of one species is dried with sugar, like figs. The Loquat, or Japanese medlar (Eriobotrya japonica), is a large tree, producing a fine fruit, having much the flavour of an apple. The fruit grows in clusters, is of an oblong shape, and about the size of a small plum. The tree is very handsome, and bears the open air in this country, if the winter be not too severe. It was first introduced from Japan in 1787. It has produced fruit in England. CHAPTER XII. FRUITS OF THE SOCIETY ISLANDS. BREAD-FRUIT; HOG-PLUM.-NEW FRUITS OF AUSTRALIA.-CON THE BREAD-FRUIT-Artocarpus incisa. THE bread-fruit, originally found in the south-eastern parts of Asia and the islands of the Pacific, though now introduced into the tropical parts of the western continent, and the West India Islands, is one of the most interesting, as well as singular productions of the vegetable kingdom. There are two species of it: the bread-fruit, properly so called (Artocarpus incisa), with the leaves deeply gashed or divided at the sides, which grows chiefly in the islands; and the Jack fruit, or Jaca tree (Artocarpus integrifolia), with the leaves entire, which grows chiefly on the main land of Asia. The latter has been already noticed. The bread-fruit is a beautiful as well as a useful tree: the trunk rises to the height of about forty feet, and, in a full grown tree, is from a foot to fifteen inches in diameter; the bark is ash-coloured, full of little chinks, and covered by small knobs; the inner bark is fibrous, and used in the manufacture of a sort of cloth; and the wood is smooth, soft, and of a yellow colour. The branches come out in a horizontal manner, the lowest ones about ten or twelve feet from the ground; and they become shorter and shorter as they are nearer the top: the leaves are divided into seven or nine lobes, about eighteen inches or two feet long, and are of a lively green. The tree bears male and female flowers, the males among the upper leaves, and the females at the extremities of the twigs. When full grown, the fruit is about nine inches long, heart-shaped, of a greenish colour, and marked with hexagonal warts, formed into facets. The pulp is white, partly farinaceous and partly fibrous; but, when quite ripe, it becomes yellow and juicy. The whole tree, when in a green state, abounds with a viscid milky juice, of so tenacious a nature as to be drawn out in threads. In the island of Otaheite and other places, where the bread-fruit forms the chief support of the people, there are, as is the case with cultivated vegetables in all countries, many varieties; only two, however, are very different from each other-that which contains seeds in the fruit, and that which contains none. The variety with seeds is much inferior to the other, being more fibrous, containing less farina, and not so pleasant to the taste; it is, therefore, not cultivated, though, in cases of need, it is roasted and eaten. Whether the seedless sort has been produced wholly by cultivation it is not easy, and would not be of much importance, to ascertain: it is the one cultivated in the South Sea islands; it was originally found only there; and the tree was not in much repute till these islands were discovered. The bread-fruit continues productive for about eight months of the year: such is its abundance, that |