240 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1884. 



coffee districts of St. Andrew's and Manchester. By the 

 kindness of Sir Joseph Hooker it has been determined 

 as Oyphotuandra betacea, a native of South America, in- 

 cluding Peru aud Chili, where also it is under cultiv- 

 ation. The plant (belonging to the natural order Solan- 

 acea) is of shrubby habit about 5 or 6 feet high. It is 

 not generally known and seldom used in Jamaica, but it 

 is without doubt a fruit that should be more largely 

 cultivated as it answers in every respect the purposes 

 for which the ordinary tomato is esteemed. 



Plants are easily raised from seed which come into 

 bearing in about two years. They are very prolific bearers 

 and the fruit is available during the winter months, 

 November to March when ordinary tomatoes are not so 

 easily obtained. 



Arracacha .—This umbelliferous food-plant (Arracacha 

 esculenta) closely resembling the common parsnip was 

 introduced to Jamaica in ldS2 by Dr. Bancroft who ob- 

 tained it from the neighbourhood of Bogota, United States 

 of Colombia. 



It is evidently indigenous to the high table lands of 

 the Andean chain ; and thus it flourishes best in Jamaica 

 in tbe Blue Mountain districts at elevations between 2,500 

 and 9",000 feet. Such situations would have mean annual 

 temperature of 72 ° aud 65 ° Fab. respectively with a 

 mean annuals rainfall of about.100 inches. 



The plant belongs, as mentioned, to the natural order 

 Umbellifer;e and in appearance and habit of growth re- 

 sembles the parsnip or celery. It is propagated either 

 from seed or by " sets," the latter being off -shoots 

 from the main stem, which are freely produced, and 

 and grown with great facility. The valuable part of the 

 plant is the root. During growth this gives rise to a 

 number of small tubers or " fingers " eight or ten in 

 number. The largest are from 8 to 9 inches in length 

 and about 2 inches iu diameter. They are yellow or 

 white in colour, with a smooth surface, and marked, 

 like the carrot, with transverse scars. At Bogota the main 

 root is styled the madre,J while the young edible tuber- 

 cles or " fingers " are called hijos (or sons). 



The youngest fingers are considered the best j the older 

 ones beiug fibrous and strongly flavoured 



The plant is evidently very hardy and grows in 

 almost any soil : it prefers, however, rich cool hol- 

 lows, end iu such situations is most prolific. I have 

 seen it growing in stiff clay soils, as well as iu 

 those of a light sandy character, but under such circum- 

 stances the yield is not so great. 



Tubers of this plant have been supplied to the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, for transmission to India and to British 

 Colonies where no doubt this hardy aud nutritious food 

 plant might afford with little labour the means of sustain- 

 ing life under very adverse circumstances. 



In a trial experiment made my Mr. Hart the crop was 

 reaped in seven month? after plantiug ; the small plot (one 

 perch iu extent) yielded one hundred pounds weight of 

 edible M fingers'' which is at the rate of 7.14 tons per acre. 

 A starch of fine quality is yielded by tbe tubers at the rate 

 of V2 per cent, approaching the finest arrowroot. 



Lotjimt : — This fruit tree known also as the Japanese 

 Medlar (Eriobotrya japonica) is somewhat uncommon in the 

 island aud is found in fruit ouly, as far as I am aware, iu 

 the parish of Manchester. A young tree is doing well at 

 King's House : and I have also seen one at Dr. Major's 

 garden at Bath. 



A short time ago I received a quantity of 6eed from 

 Bermuda from which about 400 plants were raised. These 

 are now established in pots aud ready for distribution. 



Oil of Hen : — Great interest is still being taken in the 

 extraction of this oil from the seed of the common horse- 

 radish tree (Moringa ptery gosperma) . Last year I took 

 with me to England a fine sample of oil prepared by press- 

 ure by Mr. Kennedy. The report which I received from 

 Messrs. Silver i: Co. was as follows : — "It is an oil alto- 

 gether unknown in this market, the sample is far from 

 beiii" bright aud in its present state would be useless for 

 either of the trades named in your memorandum. 



" Whatever the oil may beiu the West Indies, it appears 

 to be very tender here, and although only about three 

 parts congealed now would iu the winter months be en- 

 tirely so." 



If Moringa pterygospenna yields the true Oil of Ben the 

 preparation evidently must be different to that hitherto 



pursued ; and it is possible that the tender condition of the 

 sample submitted to Messrs. S. W. Silver & Co. was owing 

 to the presence in it of a large proportion of stearine which 

 should be removed. At the Museum of Kew I saw a flue 

 sample of " Oil of Ben" from Madras, made from the 

 ordinary Moringa pterygosperma which was perfectly 

 bright and clear even at the lowest temperature. 



Dr. Schweinfurth, the eminent African traveller, at the 

 request of Sir Joseph Hooker is in search of Moringa aptera 

 in the Nile valley and if he is successful in finding it the 

 question will then bo soon solved whether the true Oil of 

 Ben is the produce of this or the more common species. 



In India a reddish gum exudes from Moringa pterygo- 

 sperma which is used as a native medicine. No such gum 

 has been noticed, as tar as I am aware, in the West 

 Indies. 



Abyssinian Banana :— This giant member of the Banana 

 family (Musa Ensete) is completely naturalized at the 

 Government Cinchona Plantation at an elevation of 5,000 

 feet which has a mean annual temperature of 63 ° Fah. 

 Some specimens are about 15 to 20 feet high, the central 

 stem (with its investing sheaths of leaf petioles) often 

 measures 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feetiu diameter. The whole 

 plant weighs more than a quarter of a ton without the roots 

 and the fruit (a compacted mass about 2 ft. long and 1| ft. 

 in diameter) weighs about 60 or 70 pounds. The single 

 carpels are about 4 ins. long of a pulpy but not edible nature, 

 and contain 4 to G black seeds about half-an-inch in 

 diameter. 



This plant yields excellent fibre, and I have suggested 

 elsewhere that it might be largely utilized for this purpose. 

 Tropical Pines: — Of Conifers Jamaica possesses ouly the 

 Juniper Cedar (Juniperus Burmudiana) and the two 

 Podocarps locally known as Yacca (Podocarpus coriaceus 

 and P. Purdieanus). 



At the Turks and Oaicos Islands, Dependencies of Jamaica 

 to the east of Cuba, there are one, if not two, species of 

 Pinus which grow iu gregarious masses almost at sea level. 

 I have lately received some seed from these localities and 

 raised plants which are doing well. AYhether the pines at 

 Turks Island is Pinus cubeusis found in Cuba and supposed 

 also to form the " pine ridges " of British Honduras remains 

 to be seen. . There are also P. occideutalis, said to bo found 

 in Cuba and San Domingo, and P. bahamensis described by 

 Griesbach from the Bahamas. 



Peccan Nut : — Through the kindness of Dr. Richardson I 

 obtained, when in the Southern States of America, a large 

 quantity of fresh seed of this handsome tree (Oarya 

 olivseformis) which is nearly allied to the English Walnut. 

 Plauts are doing well at tbe Cinchona Plantation. 



Commoii Cypress : — A fiue tree of Cupressus sempervirens 

 flourishes at the Cinchoua Plantation, which has yielded a 

 good crop of seed during the year. 



Wild Tamarind . — This is the common name of a low 

 plant (Leucama glauca) from the small flat brown seeds of 

 which broaches and bracelets are commonly made. The 

 seeds are coloured black by means of copperas. Mr. Robert 

 Bussel of ot. Ann's in reply to an enquiry informs me that 

 horses feeding on the leaves of this plant completely lose 

 the hair from their mauesand tails ; and he adds, " horses 

 from Llandovery, Richmond, and that side of the parish 

 (of St. Ann) where the wild tamarind abounds are frequently 

 to be seen tailless and maneless." 



Sahndilla : — Seeds of this medicinal plant (Schcanocaulou 

 officinale) have been received but as yet none have 

 germinated. The Sabadilla is found in grassy places or 

 open hills in Mexico, Guatemala and Venezuela, and I 

 have long desired to naturalize it in similar situations iu 

 Jamaica. As the source of veratrum, which is a specific 

 for external applicatiou in tbe form of ointment for 

 rheumatism, neuralgia, and other painful affections, the 

 sabadilla plant is worthy of attention. 



Gynocardia odorata .- — This tree yields the chaulmugri oil 

 of Iudian bazaars which is also a specific for rheumatism 

 as well as in skin diseases and leprosy. The tree is not 

 yet introduced to Jamaica, but seeds have been promised 

 by Dr. King, of the Royal Botauic Gardens, Calcutta. 



Negro or Maroon Coffee: — Iu the reports of the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, mention is made of the use of the seed of 

 Cassia occidentalis as a substitute for coffee in tropical 

 Africa as also at the island of Dominica in the West Ind- 

 ies, 



