BY J. H. MAIDEN. 753 



sandstay. But the fences, are down in some places, and horses 

 and cattle get in and damage it, so that it does not have perfectly 

 fair play. 



I am not aware that grasses (except a little Barley and Oats 

 for hay at the Melanesian Mission) are now artificially sown, or 

 that ensilage is made of any forage plants. 



PcooT Crops. 



Yams are cultivated to some extent by the Islanders, but on 

 a much greater scale by the Melanesian Mission. By the former 

 they are used as. a vegetable, like potatoes. Lieut.-Govr. King 

 speaks (under date 19th April, 1788) of " the yams now thriving 

 very well." 



Sweet Potato. — Backhouse (p. 260) speaks of the abundant 

 use of the Sweet Potato in his time. He says " they are excellent 

 for food, either roasted, boiled, or fried in slices. When prepared 

 by frying, this root resembles sweetish cake, and sometimes 

 supplies the place of toast at breakfast." 



Dow^ning (who copied a good deal from Backhouse) calls it the 

 Sweet Potato or " Buck," a term not in use on the Island at the 

 present day. It is universally known as Kumara (pro. Koomara), 

 which is the Tahitian and Maori name. The Islanders grow 

 them in very large quantities, and at the Melanesian Mission 

 they form such an important part of the diet of the natives that 

 their cultivation and consumption may be fitly termed enormous. 

 The kinds chiefly grown at present are the Tongan, Portuguese 

 and Sunday Island, but additional and improved varieties are 

 much required. 



Arrowroot. — Downing wrote in 1851:— "The Arrowroot is 

 very extensively and successfully cultivated in Norfolk Island. 

 The starch is separated in the usual manner, in the months of 

 September and October, and is found to be of superior quality." 

 The plant yielding it is a Maranta, and it was supplied from the 

 West Indies by Government, through the Sydney Botanic Gardens, 

 many years ago. Very little is now made, and only for private 

 use. It is of good quality. I brought some to Sydney and sub- 



