ToL. V. No. 111. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



229 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



\ 



The Papaw. 



This well-known tree is a nati\5e of tropical 

 America but cultivated in most ti'opicaljcoun tries. Its 

 l)otanical name is Carica Papai/a. 



The tree, which is somewhat palm-lika in its habit of 

 growth, is .small, seldom attaining a height oj more than 20 

 feet, with a slender, fleshy trunk, usually unbrauched. It 

 bears a crown of large, deeply lobed leaves. The tree is 

 usually dioreeious, that is, the male and female flowers are 

 usually on difierent trees. The flowers are borne in racemes ; 

 the male flowers have a funnel-shaped corolla with ten 

 anthers in.serted in its throat, the pistillate flowers are larger, 

 composed of five distinct petals with one pistil. 



Thrinax Morrisii at Grenada. 



Mr. R. D. Anstead, B.A., Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent at Grenada, has forwarded the following note 

 on this palm :^ 



I note that from time to time reports have been made 

 upon the specimen of 'J'/irinax Morrisii in these gardens, 

 and it may be of interest to you to know that the specimen 

 referred to in these reports is now nearly 6 feet high and in 

 vigorous health. It has lately put out seven handsome 

 flower spikes, and it is hoped to obtain a quantity of seed. 



Close to it has been planted out another specimen, 

 which was received from the Botanic Gardens in British 

 Guiana ; this is about 2 feet high. 



Last year a few seeds were obtained from the former 

 .specimen ; as these have germinated, there are now some 

 seedlings which will be planted out later. 



KOLA NUTS. 



Fig. 13. Papaw. 

 (From The Bool: of Trinidad.) 



The well-known melon-shaped fruit, which grows from 

 the axils of the lower leaves, is used for dessert purposes. 

 The unripe fruit is cooked as a vegetable. 



In the West Indies this tree is accredited with wonderful 

 properties. Needless to say, many of these statements are 

 gross exaggerations. They are all, however, connected with 

 the possession of a digestive ferment in the juice. The active 

 principle is known as papain. The commercial preparation 

 of this product was fully described by Dr. Francis Watts in 

 an early issue of the Agrindtural Neivs (Vol. I, p. 4). Its 

 extraction has of late years formed an industry of some 

 importance in Montserrat, the exports having reached a value 

 of £2,000 in 1903. 



A full accounc of the numerous uses of the papaw tree 

 will be found in the Agricultural Neivs (Vol. II, p. 327). 



In an article on kola, in the Keiv Bulletin 

 (No. 4 — 1906), the following account is given 

 of what is known as Labogie kola : — 



In an article by Count Zech on the kola of 

 West Africa {Mitth. a. d. Deutsch SchuUfjebiettn, 

 XIV, p. 12, 1901) reference is made to the 'Laboshi' 

 kola of West Africa, which is stated by him to be 

 more prized by the kola experts and traders of the 

 Soudan than the Ashanti kola. The Count mentions 

 especially nine localities as providing this superior 

 kola, viz., Laboshi, Fashi, Yakudi, Gbaki, Fatchiko 

 Kimbokun, Bete, Bitagi, and Koda. 



In .January 1901, specimens reached Kew from 

 Mr. W. R. Elliot, Forestry Officer, Northern Nigeria, 

 of the kola found by him growing in the Labogie 

 district of the province of Nupe in Northern 

 Nigeria. The letter accompanying the botanical 

 specimens states : 'this particular variety of kola nut 

 is in great demand throughout the whole of Northern 

 Africa, and it fetches locally almost double the price 

 of the kind with four or five cotyledons.' The letter 

 continues : ' The kola plantations at Labogie and 

 other places in the district are situated in sheltered 

 valleys at an elevation of from 450 to .550 feet 

 above the sea. The soil is a deep, black, sandy loam, 

 and is kept in a continuous state of moisture by the 

 streams that are found in each valley. Very little 

 care is taken of the trees, and they are found 

 growing with the oil nut palm (Elaeis guineensis). The 

 rainfall of the district is probably between 40 and 50 inches, 

 but not a drop of rain falls from December to April.' 



On examination, the specimens forwarded by Mr. Elliott 

 were found to belong to the genuine Cola acuminata, Schott 

 and Endl. (not of K. Schum.). This species is identical 

 with the kola of Sierra Leone and Ashanti, although the 

 seeds received from Labogie are rather below the average 

 size of the Sierra Leone article. 



The source of the ' Laboshi' or Labogie kola was not 

 previously known and its determination was only possible 

 after a thorough revision, by Dr. O. Stapf, of the group of 

 species to which Cola acuminata belongs. 



It may be mentioned that a paper on the varieties 

 of kola appeared in the West Indian Bulletin, 

 Vol. IV, pp. 182-8. 



