FRUIT-BEARING TREES.
Many fruits which European trees produce are unknown to Paraguay: in all my travels through that country I never, or very rarely, saw any apples, pears, plums, cherries, filberts, chesnuts, &c. These trees seem not to suit the climate and soil of Paraguay; for they are either entirely barren, or produce such ridiculous fruit as rather deserve the appellation of abortions of nature, than delicacies of the palate. The want of the fruits above-mentioned is amply compensated by an incredible abundance of very large peaches, quinces, pomegranates, citrons, both sweet and sour, and oranges which Europe might envy. In the neighbouring kingdoms of Chili, where, on account of the vicinity of the mountains, the air is much sharper, almost all European fruits, and many other native ones, succeed amazingly, and are dried and carried into other countries with great profit. But though Paraguay is destitute of various European fruits, she boasts of many native ones, unknown in Europe even by name. I shall cursorily describe trees and shrubs as they enter my head, without regard to order.
THE MISTOL.
The mistol, a very large tree, affords hard and heavy wood, of a red colour, fit for making pestles of mortars and spears; it also produces a red fruit, about the size of a chesnut, resembling in appearance the tree which the Spaniards call azofaifa, and druggists jujubes, and which was formerly brought from Africa to Spain and Italy. The skin is tender, the kernel rather large and hard, and the pulp fit for food; a sweet drink, and even a kind of bread, being made of it, which is much liked by the Indians, but to my taste extremely insipid. The jujub is used by European physicians for allaying pains in the breast, cough, hoarseness and pleurisy: whether the Paraguayrian mistol possess the same virtues or no, I cannot tell.
THE CHAÑAR.
The tree chañar has a yellowish and very hard wood: the fruit supplies both meat and drink, and is dried and preserved by some.
THE YACANÈ.
The fruit of the yacanè tree is of a yellow colour, about as large as a middle-sized citron, and in taste like a rotten pear.
THE QUABỸRA GUAZÙ, AND
THE QUABIYÙ.
The quabỹra guazù, which somewhat resembles a plum, and the quabiyù, which is more like a cherry, are used both as meat and drink. The quabỹra is very abundant, and much liked by the Indians; but was always nauseous to my taste, for it smells like a bug. Both the trees which produce these fruits afford very good wood for turning.