778. The Pomegranate. This fruit is still found in abundance in some parts of Palestine. Dr. Thomson, writing of his visit to Hebron, says: "There are some pomegranate bushes in this neighbourhood, which may even be called trees, by way of courtesy ; but in reality these large and delicious 'apples' grow on a stout, thorny bush. There are several kinds of them in this country. In Jebaah, on Lebanon, there is a variety perfectly black on the outside; the general colour, however, is a dull green, inclining to yellow; and some have even a blush of red spread over a part of their surface. The outside rind is thin but tough, and the bitter juice of it stains everything it touches with an undefined but indelible blue. The average size is about that of the orange, but some of those from Jaffa are as large as the egg of an ostrich. Within, the 'grains' are arranged in longitudinal compartments, as compactly as corn in the cob, and they closely resemble those of pale red corn, except that they are very transparent and very beautiful. A dish filled with these grains,' shelled out, is a very handsome ornament to the table, and the fruit is as sweet to the taste as it is pleasant to the eye. They are ripe about the middle of October, and remain in good condition all the winter. Suspended in the pantry, they are kept, partially dried, through the whole year." "The flower of the pomegranate is bell or tulip-shaped, and of a beautiful orange-red, deepening into crimson on some bushes. D |