BREAD FRUIT (Artocarlzus incisa). This fruit is the produce of a species of the genus ?irtocarpus, which •rows abundantly in the South Sea islands. There are several species, which are noticed in the article BOTA NV, and to which we refer, as our present object is li mited.
The characters of the bread-fruit tree are the follow ing: Class, MoNcEc la. Order, Monandria.
Catkin cylindrical—gradually enlarging—covered with flowers.
Male. Calyx two-valved. No corolla.
Frinate. No calyx. No corolla, One style. Drulze. Multilocular.
Thunberg mentions several subspecies of the artocar• fzus incisa ; but the information which he has afforded is crude and imperfect. The natives of the Society Islands, according to the narrative with which Admiral Bligh has favoured the public, reckon eight species ; though the correctness of their division does not appear quite evident. The species and names are as follow : 1. Pattcah.
2. Eroroo.
3. A wanna.
4. Mire.
5. Oree.
6. Powerro.
7. Appcere.
8. Rowdeeah.
The differencees arc said to consist chiefly in the leaves, and are very trifling. 'flit eighth species has a large broad leaf, without any notches; while those of all the other species arc more or less notched. It may be a variety ; but we are not aware of any sufficiently accurate observations which might enable us to decide this point.
The fruit of the Pattcah differs from that of the Row decal' ; the former is oblong, while the latter is round, and not above half of the size of the other.
All the species of the .Irtocarpus are natives of the South Sea islands, and have long attracted the notice of voyagers. So long ago as in 1638, when Dampier per formed his voyage round the world, the species which we have described was noticed, and the following de scription given of it " The bread-fruit (as we call it) grows on a large tree, as big and high as our largest apple trees ; it hath a spreading head, full of branches, and dark leaves. The fruit grows on the boughs like apples: it is as big as a penny loaf when wheat is at five shillings the bush el ; it is of a round shape, and bath a thick tough rind. When the fruit is ripe, it is yellow and soft, and the taste is sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. They gather it when full grown, while it is green and hard ; then they bake it in an oven, which scorched' 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 nei ther seed nor stone in the inside, but all of a pure sub stance, like bread. It must be eaten new ; for, if it be
kept above twenty-four hours it grows harsh and choaky ; but it is very pleasant before it is too stale. This fruit lasts in season tight months in the year, du ring which the natives cat no other sort of bread kind. I did never see of this fruit any where but here. The natives told us, that there is plenty of this fruit growing on the rest of the Ladrone Islands ; and I did never hear of it any where else." The most satisfactory accounts which we have met with, both of the tree and of the fruit, are those given by Hawkesworth, in his account of the first voyage of Captain Cook, and that of our illustrious Circumnaviga tor himself, in his account of his last voyage. We shall therefore extract both, for the satisfaction of our readers.
" The bread fruit grows on a tree that is about the size of a middling oak. Its leaves are frequently a foot and a half long, of an oblong shape, deeply sinuated like those of the fig tree, which they resemble in con sistence and colour, and in the exuding of a white milky juice upon being broken. The fruit is about the size and shape of a child's head, and the surface is reticu lated not much unlike a trufle. It is covered with a thin skin, and has a core about as big as the handle of a small knife. The eatable part lies between the skin and the core. It is as white as snow, and somewhat of the consistence of new bread. It must be roasted be fore it is eaten, being first divided into three or four parts. Its taste is insipid, with a slight sweetness some what resembling that of the crumb of wheaten bread, mixed with a Jerusalem artichoke." Dr Hawkesworth, in another part, gives a very flattering picture of the ad vantages resulting from the bread fruit tree, which, as will appear, is rather fanciful than correct. He says, " Of the many vegetables that have been mentioned al ready, as serving them (the natives of the Society Is lands) for food, the principal is the bread fruit, to pro cure which, costs them no trouble or labour but to climb a tree. The tree which produces it, does not indeed shoot up spontaneously ; but, if a man plants ten of them in his lifetime, which he may do in about an hour, he will as completely fulfil his duty to his ow n and future generations, as the natives of our less temperate climate can do by ploughing in the cold winter, and reaping in the summer's heat, as often as these seasons return. Even if, after he has procured bread for his present household, lie should convert the surplus into money, and lay it up for his children.