March 2, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



69S 



Samoan group. Besides, iu this latter group there are no 

 outlying dangers, every reef and rock is close to the shore 

 of the larger islands, and the few dangers which do exist 

 are plainly visible to the mariner. Therefore, let our 

 merchants see what they can do to secure commercial 

 control over the group before it is too late. Whatis most 

 needed is the establishment by Americans of sugar oj 

 coffee plantations here, for Samoa is an exclusively agri- 

 cultural country, and these two articles, in such great 

 demand in the United States, are certain to become her 

 great staples. American planters and American merchants 

 must march together, the planter in the van, with the 

 merchant backing him closely up. This is the only way 

 I can devise of increasing our trade with the islands, which 

 at present produce little or nothing which finds a good, 

 steady sale in our markets. — Indian Mercury. 



JAPANESE VEGETABLE FOOD PRODUCTS. 



The Japanese Commission at the late International Health 

 Exhibition have produced an excellent catalogue of then- 

 exhibits, which contains a great deal of valuable information 

 on the production and uses of the specimens iu question. 

 In the first group, devoted to food products, a series of 

 analyses is given of the principal grains and pulses, fungi, 

 cucurbitaceous fruits, &c. 



. The fruit of the Maidenhair tree (Gingko biloba), under 

 the name of Ginuan, is described as an acrid poison, so 

 poisonous indeed that if the juice touches the body boils 

 will immediately be produced; any one eating the fruit raw 

 is soon affected by the poison, but when roasted its poisonous 

 properties disappear entirely, and there has never been a 

 single case of poisoning known to arise from its use when 

 roasted. 



Lagenaria vulgaris — Kau-pio — dried fruit. — The method 

 of preparing is as follows: — The first step is to cut off 

 the extremities, then the seeds and pulp are taken out, 

 the fruit is then cut into lengths or strips, which are dried 

 by hanging it on sticks. It can thus be preserved for a 

 long period if kept in proper vessels and closed tightly. 

 To prepare it for food it is boiled with water, soy, sugar, 

 sweet wine. 



Agaricus cantpestris—Shii-take. — The following is given 

 as the mode of growing Mushrooms. Various tall trees 

 are cut down, marks are made by knives, and the trees 

 left for two years upou the ground. On a winter day the 

 timber is cut into pieces and the logs left inclining to a 

 fence or made into square piles and left alone for from 

 two to four years. Mushrooms then begin to grow in rainy 

 seasons. They are afterwards covered over and the full- 

 grown ones are picked. These are called " Spring Mush- 

 rooms,'' to distinguish them from those which grow in the 

 autumn, and which are called " Autumn Mushrooms." The 

 gathered Mushrooms are compressed with Bamboo sticks 

 and dried by exposure to the open air or to fire. 



Gelidium eorneum — Agar-agar, or Kanten. — The Gelidium 

 is soaked in water and pounded well in a mortar until 

 bubbles are formed and the colour becomes greyish; it is 

 then poured into a large basket, dipped in water, and 

 stirred until turbid water arises. The mass is next spread 

 upou a mat made of Bamboo or reeds, and after thus 

 drying it is put into a mortar again and hot water poured 

 upon it. It is then boiled at a gentle heat, and when the 

 weed becomes pasty it is poured into a linen bag and 

 squeezed into a vessel and left to coagulate. The j< lly is 

 cut into threads and frozen by exposing the pieces to 

 intense cold in thin layers upon Bamboo mats. 



Kauten is used as a material in making confectionery 

 and also as food. In summer it is prepared by pouring 

 hot water upon it. and leaving it to coagulate. It is then 

 cut into fine threads, mixed with water and seasoned with 

 sugar or soy according to taste. It is also used for purifying 

 turbid "sake" or rice spirit. 



/''. ozen Kouniaku is prepared from the tubers of Cotiophallus 

 koujak, which is pounded and coagulated by the action 

 of lime and then frozen by cutting the Kouniaku into 

 thin slices, drying and afterwards freezing it by exposure 

 to intense cold. It is used as food after soaking in warm 

 water. 



Katakuri Starch. — The bulb of Erythronium denscauis is 

 crushed, washed with water, and decanted. The precipitated 

 starch is collected, spread upon mats, dried by exposure 



to the sun, and finally ground into a fine powder. It is 

 made into a kind of vermicelli called Katakuri men, and 

 is chiefly used in making confectionery, or is made into 

 a paste by adding hot water. It is served with sugar, 

 and makes a very delicious food. 



Kuzu Starch is prepared from the root of Pueraria 

 Thunbergiaua by pounding it, placing it in a tub with water, 

 which is stirred, and afterwards filtered through a linen 

 bag. The starch after settling is washed and decanted 

 several times, aud finally dried. It is principally used in 

 confectionery and may also be served with sugar by making 

 it into paste with the addition of hot water. It is not 

 unfrequently used in cookery. It is remarkable that the 

 stems of the plant yield a strong fibre which is used in 

 Oorea for making a textile fabric very strong aud similar 

 in appearance to an ordinary kind of coarse linen. Samples 

 of this were exhibited at a recent meeting of the Linnean 

 Society. 



Wardbi Starch is prepared from the root of the Brake 

 Fern (Pteris aquiliua), collected in the season when it is 

 withered and no young shoots are to be seen. For this 

 purpose the root is collected, cut into pieces, pounded, 

 washed, decanted, and the settled starch is collected, and 

 finally dried. It is mixed with Wheat-flour or Rice-meal, 

 and made into cakes, or when made into paste by boiling 

 with water mixed with the astringent juice of Persimmon, 

 it is used for joining paper together, and the joint does 

 not part even if exposed to rain ; hence it is widely used 

 for this purpose. 



Umiboshi: Salted and Dried Plums. — There are two ways 

 of salting Plums, one to put three "go" of salt upou one 

 "sho" of Plums into a tub, for about ten days. The 

 Plums are turned over, and then again put away for a 

 week, when the same process is again gone through. The 

 other way is to fill a tub with Plums, and sprinkle over 

 them eight "shos" or a "to" of salt. In both of these 

 modes of preparation the plums, after being kept iu the 

 brine thirty days, are arranged upon straw mats, and exposed 

 to the rays of the sun for seven days. Then Shiso (Perilla 

 arguta) is dipped into the juice produced by the mixture 

 of salt aud Plums, and is exposed to the rays of the sun, 

 and set aside again for several days. "When the colour 

 changes to a beautiful red, it is then exposed to the open 

 air for two nights, during which time the sourness some- 

 what disappears, and a very delicious flavour is produced. 



Preserved iu an earthen jar, and closely sealed with a 

 thick paper cover, this preparation will keep for over ten 

 years. It is very valuable as a provision in campaigns and 

 on voyages. Moreover, the taste remains unchanged, even 

 to the palates of those suffering from high fever, or of 

 those whose sense of taste from the same cause has been 

 much impaired ; therefore, it is kept in almost every house, 

 and is especially used for invalids. 



Kasadyuke. — This is a preparation of white Melons. To 

 prepare it the Melons are cut open, and the seeds removed 

 with a Bamboo spatula; a small quantity of salt is spread 

 over them. After the juice of the Melons has been absorbed 

 into cotton cloth, a mixture of Sake residuum (a kind of 

 spirit from Rice), and a certain proportion of alcohol, is 

 gradually poured upon the bottom of an empty tub; upon 

 this the salted Melons are laid, then a layer of wine residuum, 

 and another layer of Melons, aud so on, till the cask is 

 full; it is then beaded up, and kept for four or five months 

 before using. In Japan at the present day this substance 

 is served at the close of every meal, when warm water 

 or ten is drunk. "When taken after eating meat or fish 

 it is very wholesome and delicious. At breakfast, when 

 there is only boiled Rice and miso soup, and no fish or 

 vegetables it helps to complete the meal. It is also a 

 good accompaniment to a cop of tea. 



Soy. — Two preparations from the Soy Bean (Glycine 1 soja I, 

 - that already referred to, deserve mentioning — nam eh . 

 miso, a fermented substance; and shoyu, or soy itself. The 

 first is a curious preparation, described as follows; — There 

 are many ways of making miso, differing \ cry little from 

 each other; the kind containing the largest quantity oi 

 yeast is considered the best. The usual mode is after 

 soaking Soy Beans in water for about two hours to put 

 them into a suitable vessel and steam them; then, after 

 mixiug them with salt and yeast, they are removed to 

 wooden plates; then the ingredients are very evenly mixed, 

 the liquid is put into casks, and is then left untouched 



