Vol. VIII. No. i; 



THK AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



and the 'bread-fruits' of Northern A iislralia ((AnvfeinVt 

 eduUs), together wit.h several others. Undoubtedly 

 the most vah):ible kind of all is the ' bread-fruit ' nf 

 Malaya and the South Sea Islands, which flourishes so 

 well in the West Indies. The following extracts deal- 

 ing with the species of Artocarpus are taken from the 

 article in question : — 



Artt)C(irpit.i incisa, the bread fruit [iroper, knnwn also as 

 the ' Tahiti bread-fruit,' is, in regard to foliage, one of the 

 handsomest of tropical trees. Growing to a height of 40 to 

 50 feet, it bears very large shining leaves, which are deeply 

 cut into lobes. The fruit is oval or round in shape, and 

 abiiut the size of a musk-melon. The fruit of the best 

 varieties contain;; no seed, the whole interior consisting of a 

 .solid mass of Heshy pulp. This, when sliced and roasted, 

 somewhat resembles the crumb of a new loaf. It is nuich 

 esteemed in Ceylon as a vegetable for curries, and may also 

 be prepared and used in various other ways. It can there- 

 fore be understood why it forms the principal diet of the 

 natives of the South Sea Islands. The fruit should be 

 picked for use when it is full-grown and has not commenced 

 to ripen, the latter state being indicated by a softness of the 

 puli>. The green colour of the fruit is constant. The tree 

 thrives up to 1,500 feet in the moist, hot districts of Ceylon, 

 more especially in proximity to the sea. It is propagated by 

 suckers from the roots, and also by layering. 



Artocarjnis iyitegrifulia, or the jack-fruit, is a common 

 but useful tree, and the produce is a standard article of food 

 with the working classes in the Eastern tropics. Though 

 met with in a naturalized state in Ceylon, it is not indigenous, 

 having been originally brought from Southern India. That 

 it has now been intruduceil and established in almost all 

 tropical countries is only wdiat is to be expected. The enor- 

 mous fruit, which may weigh anything up to 112 tb., is 

 borne on the trunk and older branches sometimes at the base 

 of the trunk, or even under the ground surface, it is usually 

 oblong and irregular in shape, though sometimes almost 

 perfectly i-ound or oval. The jack-fruit is a familiar oliject in 

 the moist low country of Ceylon. The pulp forms an important 

 article of food with the natives, whilst Europeans also relish 

 it when cooked in curries. When ripe, the whole fruit has an 

 overpowering odour, and, unfortunately, the stronger the 

 smell the better the quality of the fruit. To those who relLsh 

 the latter, however, the odour is not objectionable. The 

 edible pulp which fills the interior consists of a solid mass of 

 white or cream-coloured flaky substance, which is cooked and 

 prepared in various wajs, and sometimes eaten raw. It is 

 sold in pieces at a few cents each. The seeds, which are of 

 the size and form of dates, are roasted and utilized in the 

 preiiaration of curries, etc. They are lioth tasty and nutri- 

 tious. There are numerous varieties of jack-tree, differing 

 chiefly in the shape and flavour of the fruit. 



Artocarpus Lakuoclia, known in India as the ' ilonkey- 

 jack,' is an erect tree with oblong, entire dark-green leaves, 

 which are about 8 inches long and 4 inches broad. It is 

 a native of Bengal, and though not a staple article of diet, 

 its fruit is said to be sometimes eaten and relished. The 

 fruit is roundish or oblong in shape, of the size of an orange. 

 The tree flourishes at Peradeniya, and in Southern India up 

 to 4,000 feet. 



Artdcarjius ndliilia. — This is the indigenous bread-fruit 

 of Ceylon. It is a handsome tree, usually growing to a height 

 of about 50 feet, but sometimes to a much greater height. 

 It has a spreading habit, with a round head, and bears large 

 leathery leaves which are wavy at the margin. The fruit 

 is like a thick cone, 6 to 8 inches long ; it is commonly 



eaten bj' the natives, being cooked and used as a vegetable 

 for curries, etc. It contains several round white seeds, of the 

 form of large peas, which are rcjasted and eaten. The tree 

 is confined to Ceylon, and grows in the moist low country up 

 to 2,00t) feet. It is readily projiagated by seed, and is well 

 worth cultivating as a hand.some shade or timber tree. 



BARBADOS INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION. 



The anniuil Agricultural and Industrial Exhibi- 

 tion was held at Barbados on December 22 last. The 

 heavy showers of rain which fell at periodic intervals 

 throughout the day prevented the attendance from 

 being so large as usual, but it is estimated that the 

 number of persons visiting the show was about 1,400. 



In view of the prolonged drought experiencei.1 at 

 Barbados during 1908, the exhibits of agricultural produce 

 were remarkably good. An excellent collection of plant and 

 ratoon canes was on view, the first prize for plant canes- 

 being taken by a stool of B. 376 from Turner's Hall estate. 

 The second prize in this class was awarded to a clump of 

 B. 208 from Welches, St. Thomas. For ratoon canes. 

 Turner's Hall estate again won first prize, with B. 208. 



The fruit and vegetable sections were filled with a good 

 display of produce, and the prize-winning shaddocks, grape- 

 fruit and bananas were of fine quality. The good effect of 

 the recent showers of rain were evident in the excellent 

 collection of vegetables — bonavist and other bean.s, peas, 

 cabbages, tomatos, cucumbers, etc. 



Aitliough one or two fine animals were noticeable at the 

 Exhibition, the .show of stock wa.s, on the whole, poor as 

 compared with many previous years. In the horse class, 

 a gelding ' Ivan,' shown by Mr. S. S. Robinson, gained a prize 

 of .*(). A similar prize was awarded to Mr. Robert Arthur 

 for a bay horse, aged 32 months. 



There were only five or six cattle on view, and the goats 

 also were behjw the usual standard. Among the sheep, how- 

 ever, theie was one animal, shown by Mr. Eyare King, of 

 very good quality. 



In the poultry class there were some really fine birds, 

 and a pen of Plymouth Rocks, which gained a first prize of 

 !p2-50, may be especially mentioned. The best birds among 

 the Wyandottes and Leghorns were also of very good type. 

 Ducks were well represented, and there was an excellent 

 collection of pigeons. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 

 The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.C}., D.Sc, Analytical 

 and Agricultural Chemist, and Superintendent of Agri- 

 culture for the Leeward Islands, has been appointed 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the West 

 Indies, in succession to Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G. 

 Dr. Watts assumed the duties of the post on January 6. 



Mr. H. A. Ballon, M.Sc, Entomologist on the staff 

 of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, left Barba- 

 dos on January .5 by the R. M. S. ' Esk,' for Antigua, 

 to make investigations in connexion with the attack of 

 the Hower-bud maggot of cotton, recently experienced 

 in some parts of that island. 



Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the Botanic Station, 

 Dominica, returned from England by the R. M. S. 

 ' Tagus ' on December 22 last, after five months' leav'e 

 of absence. 



