Vol. VIII. No. 180. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



85 



MANGOSTEEN AT DOMINICA. 



So many notes on the characteristics and quality 

 of the m;ir)g;osteen fruit have appeared in past issues of 

 the Agrh-nhund Neu-s that little can be added to 

 the itifcinuation already given in regard to thi.s interest- 

 ing product. 



Plants (if till' iiiaiigo.stefn {Guiriiiin MdiKjoMuna) e.\i.st 

 in many of tlie West Indiai! islands, and the acconiiianying 

 illustration (Fig. 1 <) represents a finf,lifaltliy tree growing at 

 St. Aronient, Dominica, the e.state of the Hon. H. A. Alt'ord 

 XichoUs, C..M.G. In the 1907 8 sra^nn thi-; tree was laden 



Fi<;. 13. M.WGosTEEN Tree at St. Aroment, Domixica. 



with fruit, and it was e.stiniated that about 400 fruits came 

 to maturity. It may be mentioned, too, that a mango.steen 

 tree, planted in 1890 at the I>(jtanic Station, St. Vincent, 

 fruited for the first time towards the close of 1907. 



Usually, however, the tree fruits at a much earlier age 

 than this, and has been known to bear in the fifth year from 

 planting out. At this age it has genei'aliy attained a height 

 of 10 feet, and a basal girth of 1 foot. With advancing years 

 the mangosteen fruits borne increase in number (although 

 yielded at irregular intervals), while the quality and flavour 

 improve. 



The mangosteen is a native of the Malay Peninsula. It 

 grows well in Ceylon, but is not so successful in India. 

 A number of plants have been raised at the Botanic Gardens 

 of Trinidad and .Jamaica, and these have fruited well. In 

 general, however, the attempts that have been made to 



naturalize this tree in foreign countries have not been so 

 successful as might be wi-shed. 



The mangosteen does best on a loamy soil, in districts 

 where the rainfall reaches from 100 to 150 inches. The fruit 

 of (rdfciiila Jfam/ostaiia is about the size of a small apple ; 

 it possesses a thick tough rind, and ^vhen ripe, is of a reddish- 

 brown colour. The edible portion of the fruit, which is of 

 delicious flavour, is the white pulp (or aril) surrounding the 

 dark-brown seeds. 



The photograph from \> hich the block tor the accompany- 

 ing illustration was prepared, was taken by Mr. W. Skinner, 

 !M.A., Head-master of the Dominica Grammar School. 



LIMA BEANS. 



The Lima bean (Phascolus lunatufi) is cultivated 

 ill most of the warmer parts of the earth, and is widely 

 grown in the West Indies. The species is one which 

 shows considerable variation in the beans (seeds) 

 produced, but the various kinds are divided roughly 

 into two classes, the ' red ' and the ' white.' Beans of 

 the latter class somewhat resemble haricot beans, and 

 are frequently cooked and eaten as human food. 



In Mauritius, Lima beans are cultivated on a large scale, 

 and turned into the soil as a green manure. The plant is one 

 which contains a cyanogenetic glucoside, i.e., a chemical 

 compound which, under certain conditions, is capable of 

 yielding prussic acid. These plants are, therefore, dangerous 

 as a stock food, and many cases are reported from Mauritius 

 and other countries of animals having been poisoned as the 

 result of eating the green vegetation. Fatal results to 

 stock, too, have not infrequently followed the consumption 

 of raw seed (beans) in Mauritius and .Java, and cases of 

 poisoning among cattle in Groat Britain have been traced to 

 the use of beans of Pluiseolua lunatus, imported from the 

 above two countries. The beans on analysis have been 

 shown to contain varying quantities of prussic acid. 



Beans of Phaseolus lumitus (both red and white) are also 

 imported in large quantities into Great Britain from Burma, 

 the particular variety being known as ' Rangoon ' beans. 

 Although they have been fed to cattle on an extensive scale 

 for some time past, no ill effects have so far followed their 

 use. The beans from Burma contain prussic acid, but in much 

 smaller quantity than those from Mauritius and Java. 

 Burmese beans are also used as human food in many parts of 

 Europe. 



Attention is called to the poisonous projjerties of tho 

 beans in question in a len.gthy article appearing in the Journal 

 of the Board of Agriculture of Great Britain (Vol. XIV, 

 p. 722), where the results of analysis of a large number of 

 specimens from different sources are tabulated. 



It has been stated that by cooking the beans the 

 glucoside which yields the prussic acid is removed. This 

 does not appear to be always the case, however, and 

 investigations made at the Imjierial Institute lead to the 

 conclusion that no change is effected in the quantity of 

 glucoside present even after boiling. The enzyme or ferment 

 which liberates the prussic acid from the glucoside is 

 destroyed, however, and as a result, no poison is formed when 

 the beans ai'c ground and mixed with water. 



In view of the wide interests involved, the authors of 

 the paper mentioned express the opinion that it is desirable 

 that an extended investigation be made, to determine finally 

 the suitability or otherwise of Lima beans as a food material 

 for human beings and live stock. 



