Sp. gr. 1·00028; purer than Clyde water: 1000 grains contained
| Grains. | |
|---|---|
| Common salt | 0·05 |
| Sulphate of lime | 0·19 |
| Silica | 0·06 |
| Vegetable matter | 0·04 |
| 0·34 |
Nature has supplied the Peruvians of the coast with fruits most suitable to their wants; and these, though often injurious when eaten in a state of immaturity, or when the stomach is not in a fit state to receive them, are yet, when used in season, most grateful to the taste, and salutary to the constitution, in the regions where they abound.
We shall, therefore, introduce in this place a list of the fruits produced in the orchards in and about Lima, with a specification of the months when they are in season. This we are happily able to do by presenting our readers with a list, obligingly given to us by Mr. Mathews, an English botanist, now making rich botanical collections in the interior of Peru; but whose occupation, as an horticulturist at Lima, afforded him the best opportunity for exact and practical information on the subject.
January.—Grapes begin to ripen; and also apricots, and a few pears.
February.—Grapes, pears in abundance, apricots; peaches begin to ripen; lucumas scarce; figs.
March.—Grapes in abundance; pears scarce; peaches in abundance; apples begin to ripen; lucumas in abundance; figs in abundance.
April.—Apples in abundance; quinces, ceruela de frayle (spondias dulcis), and cerasas (malpighia glandulosa), palillas (psidium lineatum), and guavas; figs scarce.
May.—The same as April; a few grapes are seen in the market, brought from the southward; cherimollas.