354: plants in use by the natives of new guinea, 



Plants lately (since 1871) introduced at Maclay-Coast. 



Since my first arrival on this Coast in September 1871, some 

 plants have been introduced by me at difiereiit times. I had the 

 satisfaction of seeing in a small plantation round my house near 

 Bongu, some of the introduced plants growing abundantly, as : 

 different kinds of pumpkins, watermelon, Indian corn, Carica papaya 

 and many other plants, the seeds of which I brought with me (in 

 1871 from Tahiti and Java in 1876) (1). The natives were 

 delighted to get the seeds and watched with the greatest interest 

 the growth of the new plants. The papaya, the water melon and 

 the Indian corn became the favourites and were soon introduced in 

 the plantations and the villages on the coast. 



Numbers of natives from distant villages in the mountains came 

 to pay me visits with the object of obtaining seeds from me. 



On my last visits of the Maclay-Coast, in March 1883, I brought 

 more seeds and seedlings (from Macassar and Amboina). There 

 were inter alia, seed of the Mangustin (Garcinia), of the Durian, of 

 the Orange, Lemon, Coffee, etc., etc. I distributed the seeds amongst 

 the natives of the villages, Bongu, Bogati, Bili-Bili and of some 

 hill villages, to whom I specially recommended the coffee seeds. 



My next visit to the Maclay-Coast will show me the result of 

 this last importation of useful plants, which, if it succeeds as the 

 experiment of 1876, will prove to be a complete success. 



Before I close, I will only add, that having the intention that 

 this paper should be chiefly an addition to our knowledge of the 

 Ethnology of New Guinea, I have given here only a list of the 

 more important plants in the household of the natives of the 

 coast, omitting some which are of qviite secondaiy considerations to 

 the natives, and which they use only as food in quite exceptional 

 cases, when they have nothing better, as for instance, a species of 

 Cycas, (from the stem of which they make a kind of sago) of a 

 wild arrowroot, a species of Nephelium, etc , etc., etc. Some 

 others (as for instance the Kapok-tree), I have not mentioned 

 because the tree has no value (at present) to the natives. 



(1)1 have somewhere a list of these seeds amongst my papers, but can not 

 at this moment place my hand upon it. 



