Cherry tree.
The Cherry tree is not altogether so large, the fruit as useless and insipid: but the colour something resembling a Cherry, and the shape not much unlike; which caused the planters to call it by that name.
The next to these shall be fruites, rather for sauce then meat, to whet our appetites to those that follow after; and these are the Citrons, Oranges, Lymons, Lyme.
The Citron is a small tree, though she beare a great fruit; and so ill matcht they are, as the fruit pulls it down to the ground, and most of the fruit touches, and beares upon the ground; the stalk of a dark colour, the leafe shap’t like that of the Limon, but of a very dark green: these fruits we had in great abundance, when first we came there, but were all cast away, by reason we had none but Muscavado suger, and that is not fit to preserve with; besides there were very few then that had the skill to do them.
Orange.
The Orange trees do not prosper here, nor are the fruits so kindly as those of Bermudos: large they are and full of juice, but not so delicious as those of that Iland; besides they are very full of seeds, and their rinds neither so deep, and pure an Orange Tawny, nor so thick, and therefore not so fit to preserve: the trees seldome last above seven years in their prime, and then decay.
Limon.
The Limon tree is much better shap’t and larger, but this fruit is but here and there, stragling in the Iland. I have seen some of the fruit large, and very full of juice, with a fragrant smell: the leaves both of these and the Orange trees, I shall not need to mention being so well known in England.
Lime-tree.
The Lime tree is like a thick Hollybush in England, and as full of prickles: if you make a hedge of them, about your house, ’tis sufficient proofe against the Negres; whose naked bodies cannot possible enter it, and it is an extraordinary sure fence against Cattell; it commonly growes seven or eight foot high, extreamly thick of leaves and fruit, and of prickles; the leaves not unlike those of a Limon tree, the fruit so like as not to be discerned, at the distance of three yeards, but only that ’tis less, but in the taste of the rinde and juice, extreamly different, much fitter for sauce then the Limon, but not so good to eate alone.