Fruit (botany)

“ The fruit is replete, not only with acid, mucilage and sugar, but with its own peculiar aromatic and highly volatile secretion, elaborated within itself, on which its fine flavour depends. How far are we still from understanding the whole anatomy of the vegetable body, which can create and keep separate such distinct and discordant substances!
Nothing is more astonishing than the secretion of flinty earth by plants, which though never suspected till within a few years, appears to me well ascertained. ”

“ We can now have a general idea how the nutritious sap, acted upon by all the agents above mentioned during its stay in the cellular substance of the leaf, and returned from thence impregnated with them into the bark, may prove the source of increase, and of peculiar secretions, in the vegetable frame. That portion of sap sent to the flower and fruit undergoes no less remarkable changes, for purposes to which those curious organs are devoted; nor is it returned from thence, as from the leaves, to answer any further end. ”

“ Fruit dry or fleshy, globular, twin, separating when ripe into the 2 seed-like, indehiscent, 1-seeded carpels.—Slender herbs, with small cymose flowers (produced in summer) , square stems, and whorled leaves, the roots often containing a red coloring matter. (Name from γάλα, milk, which some species are used to curdle.)
§ 1. Naturalized species; fruit dry.
G. vèrum, L. (Yellow Bedstraw.) Perennial; stems smooth, erect; leaves 8 or sometimes 6 in the whorls, linear, roughish, soon deflexed; flowers very numerous, paniculate, yellow; fruit usually smooth.—Dry fields, E. Mass. ”

“ Every species of vegetable grew here in finest luxuriance. Melons of every variety, pine-apples, sweet potatoes, plantains, and bananas, with their broad and drooping leaves of freshest green and rich purple flower, and ripe yellow fruit. Orange-trees, cocoa-nut trees, limes—the fig, the vine, the citron, the pomegranate, and numerous others, grateful to the weary sight, and bearing precious stores amid their branches, combined to give the appearance of wealth and plenty to this happy valley. ”

“ Similar contrivances are observed in respect to a multitude of other plants.
Some seeds, as those of apples, peaches, plums, pears, cherries, currants, &c., are covered up in a fleshy or pulpy substance, which we call fruit. Here a double purpose is answered. The seeds are nicely taken care of, while mankind, with many other creatures, are provided with an ample store of delicious food. But lest the seed should be destroyed before it is brought to maturity, the fruit is very sour or bitter, until the seeds are quite ripe. ”

“ But when the fruit of every plant is maturing, it draws to itself a large part of the prepared sap, which, when it has entered the kernel, is still farther elaborated, and made to produce the peculiar qualities of the fruit, whether corn or wheat, apple or pear. It is plain from this explanation that a plant stripped of its leaves is like a chemist robbed of his laboratory, or like a man without lungs. ”

“ Plant running, not of stocky habit, but healthy and vigorous; fruit obtusely conical, three inches broad at the stem, and two inches and a half in depth; skin yellowish-white, thin and tender while the fruit is young, hard and shell-like when ripe; flesh dry and well flavored in its green state, and often of good quality at full maturity. ”

“ Strictly speaking, the small seeds scattered over the surface of the berry are the fruit, and it is to perfect these seeds that the plants blossom, the stamens scatter, and the pistils receive the pollen on the convex receptacle, which, as the seeds ripen, greatly enlarges, and becomes the pulpy and delicious mass that is popularly regarded as the fruit. So far from being the fruit, it is only "the much altered end of the stem" that sustains the fruit or seeds ”

“ IN a very large number of cases the diffusion of seeds is effected by animals. To this class belong the fruits and berries. In them an outer fleshy portion becomes pulpy, and generally sweet, inclosing the seeds. It is remarkable that such fruits, in order, doubtless, to attract animals, are, like flowers, brightly colored—as, for instance, the cherry, currant, apple, peach, plum, strawberry, raspberry, and many others. This color, moreover, is not present in the unripe fruit, but is rapidly developed at maturity. ”

“ Indeed, we are at a loss to decide which we value the more, the apple-blossoms or the apples which follow. Nature is not content with bulk, flavor, and nutriment, but in the fruit itself so deftly pleases the eye with every trick of color and form that the hues and beauty of the flower are often surpassed. ”

“ But fruit also literal: for what joy of vegetation is lacking to the man who every month in the year can look through his study-window on a green lawn, and have strawberries and cream for his breakfast,—who can sit down to this royal fruit, and at the same time to apricots, peaches, nectarines, blackberries, raspberries, melons, figs both yellow and purple, early apples, and grapes of three kinds? ”

“ The fruit that follows is yellow, being near ripe, and covered with a white freeze, or cotton; thick set on the younger, and growing less as they grow to be thorough ripe, bunched out oftentimes in some places, some being like an apple, and some a pear, of a strong heady scent, and not durable to keep, and is sour, harsh, and of an unpleasant taste to eat fresh; but being scalded, roasted, baked, or preserved, becomes more pleasant. ”

“ As it produces new bunches every month, there are always some quite ripe, some green, some just beginning to button, and others in full flower. The fruit is three-lobed and of a greenish hue, of different sizes, from the size of an ordinary tennis-ball, to that of a man's head, and is composed of two rinds. ”

“ A fruit, on the other hand, lays itself open in every way to attract the attention of animals, and so to be dispersed by their aid, often amid the nourishing refuse of their meals. It is true that, with the fruit as with the nut, to digest the actual seed itself would be fatal to the life of the young plant. But fruits get over this difficulty by coating their seeds first with a hard, indigestible shell, and then with a soft, sweet, pulpy, and nutritious outer layer. ”

“ Of fruit trees the apple, pear, plum, cherry, medlar, pomegranate, fig, quince, as well as two kinds of vine, grow wild; oranges, sweet and bitter, and other Aurantiaceae thrive well in gardens and plantations. ”

“ Its seeds, in size and form, like a small acorn without its cup, are eaten green, or dried as nuts, and are often preserved as sweetmeats; they have a nut-like flower. Its roots, sometimes as thick as the arm, of a pale green without, and whitish within, in a raw state, are eaten as fruit, being juicy, and of a sweetish and refreshing flavour, and when boiled are served as vegetables. ”

“ Orchard fruits are conveniently divided into large and small fruits, the large fruits being represented by the apple, pear, peach, quince, etc., and the small fruit by the cherry and plum. Fruits were doubtless among the earliest foods of man, and this leads to another classification of fruits, namely, wild and cultivated. ”

“ On taking up the fruit-trees, the roots should be preserved of a convenient length, in consequence of which they will incline to grow in a horizontal direction, and be more immediately influenced by the sun: their sap will become richer, and produce the sweetest and most beautiful fruit. ”

“ Are there many runners, or few, or none? Do the new runners bear blossoms and fruit? If so, when do they commence to bud and bloom? When do the berries begin to ripen? Notice the size and shape of the fruit, also the color. You can tell much from the taste of the berry. No two varieties taste exactly alike. Some are real sweet and some kinds real sour. ”

“ The flowers, though small, are made noticeable by blossoming in clusters on the stem. The fruit is a woody capsule, nut-like, two-celled, and the seeds, almost black and shining, are the prettiest seeds in the world. ”

“ The inside, a sweet and highly aromatic pulp, is filled with small seeds, which, when the fruit is eaten in large quantities, as is generally the case, are apt to produce dangerous strictures. The whole plant is exceedingly fragrant ”

“ This grows very much, and when it is ripe it is large and of a yellow color. Just as it is with the pear, the orange is larger than it needs to be to hold the seeds. We call it fruit, because it is made for us to eat. ”

“ It is incapable of ripening its fruit in this country, and is, therefore, only grown here for the sake of its beautiful vernal flowers. There are several varieties, of which the most important are the sweet and the bitter, so named from the flavour of the seed or kernel. ”

“ They have withal good plenty of ground fruit, as callavances, pineapples, pumpkins, watermelons, musk-melons, cucumbers, and roots; as yams, potatoes, cassava, etc. Garden herbs also good store; as cabbages, turnips, onions, leeks, and abundance of other salading, and for the pot. Drugs of several sorts, namely sassafras, snake-root, etc. ”

“ The sunny slopes of hills are best suited to its natural habits. Layering is the most certain mode of propagating this fruit, although it grows freely from the seed, provided it has first been steeped for twelve hours in hot water or yeast. ”

“ As for leaves, you can think of a great many fragrant kinds in a few minutes, not only green-house plants, like some of the geraniums, but many of the weeds of the fields.
Some vegetables produce very remarkable fruits.
FRUIT OF THE BREAD FRUIT TREE, REDUCED IN SIZE.
A species of fig-tree bears loaves of bread! ”

“ In our oranges and grape-fruit and in a score of other fruits, the elimination of seeds is exactly one of the modifications we have bred and selected for, in order to make the fruits less troublesome in their eating. ”

“ In the pea and marrow there are many seeds, but there are large numbers of fruits in which we find only one. For example, in plums, cherries, and peaches we have a fleshy outer fruit-case with a stony lining covering over one large seed. Such fruits do not open, for there is only one seed within, and so the fruit is scattered whole. ”

“ Before the fruit is ripe the spike is cut, and soon becomes fit for use. The part of the plant which is in the earth is a sort of large root, and from it there will be successively thirty or more shoots, each one containing its bunch of fruit. ”

“ The fruit is taken from the tree before it is ripe, covered with lime and thus brought to maturity. It cures disorders of bile and wind, strengthens the system, and is aphrodisiac; it cures eruptions from diffused bile, and is slow of digestion; it induces costiveness, is useful in disorders of the chest, increases semen and allays thirst. Its seeds are astringent and sweet, and increase wind, they are hurtful if ate on an empty stomach. Its corrector is its seed. Some have said, that the fruit when allowed to ripen on the tree is the best, and that the forced kind is cool. ”

“ The tendency to fruitage may be met in different ways, a few of which will now be pointed out, and all planters are urged to observe and to practice some of these plans for reducing the exuberance of this kind of fruit. ”

“ Againe, the largenesse and goodnesse of fruite consists in the age of the tree: for as the tree increaseth, so the fruite increaseth in bignesse, beauty, taste, and firmnesse: and otherwise, as it decreaseth.
Transporting fruit by water. If you be to transport your fruit farre by water, then prouide some dry hogges-heads or barrells, and packe in your apples, one by one with your hand, that no empty place may be left, to occasion sogging ”

“ There are, no doubt, soils fit for bricks and piping only, but in most instances, by a judicious use of the means suggested, they can be made to produce heavy and long-continued crops of the largest fruit. ”

“ This is the principal month for grafting all sorts of fruit-trees, transplanting all sorts of hardy herbs and flovers, make up hot-beds for cucumbers, melons, colliflowers, to come late, to Russia cabbage and tender flower seeds, as amaranths of all sorts, and garden-seed, marvil, of Pern, &c. ”

“ Vegetables.—Artichokes, beans, beetroot, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cresses, cucumbers, endive, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, parsnips, peas, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrows, watercress.
Fruit.—Apples, apricots, bananas, cherries (morella) , cob-nuts, damsons, figs, filberts, grapes, melons, medlars, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, pines, plums, quinces, walnuts. ”

“ The flesh is firm, fine-grained, juicy, tender with a peculiarly rich aromatic flavor. The skin is thick and tough but is not objectionable in fruit fully ripe. The fruit keeps and ships well, and the berries neither crack nor shatter. ”

“ Obtained by Major Espéren, Mechlin, Bel., and described in 1848 as a new fruit. Fruit large, turbinate or ovate-pyriform and long, dark green, sprinkled with brown dots, the dark green becoming at maturity pale yellow and golden on the side of the sun; flesh semi-melting, white; juice abundant, sweet, and without any appreciable perfume; good for the purposes of the kitchen. ”

“ The common disappearance of these bitter substances as the seed or fruit ripens adds to the attractiveness of the material for food for animals at the proper stage of ripeness to provide for wider distribution of the seeds for further propagation. ”

“ Obtained in the garden of the Society Van Mons at Geest-Saint-Rémy, Bel., in 1854. Fruit medium, turbinate-ventriculous or pyriform-ventriculous, acute at the top which passes into the stalk; greenish-yellow, dotted with gray-russet; flesh white, semi-fine, melting, juicy and perfumed, saccharine; juice musky, delicate; Oct. to Mar.; the long period of its ripening is its very valuable quality. ”

“ Thrifty orchards of healthy well-grown fruit trees, including many varieties, are fast coming to maturity. Waving fields of golden grain, ripple in the simmering heat of a noon-day sun, or rustle and billow with each passing breeze, under the pale light of a harvest moon. Beautiful fields of cotton and corn, are an inspiration to behold. ”