A USEFUL FOREST TREE 



In 1908-4; 763,106 cwt. in 1904-5; 977,801 cwt. in l'.>5-6; and 

 vt. in 1906-7. But of these very large amounts only about one- 

 t hinl was received by the port towns as the supplies to meet local dem 

 and foivii/n rxports. Turning to the corresponding returns for exports, 

 seen that Madras is by far the largest producing province of India 

 ; (that is, excluding Burma, not shown in the returns of rail and 

 traffic), followed ordinarily by Bengal and the Paujab. All the 

 <-f India (including the Native States) exports usually about the same 

 int as Bengal, which is commonly only about half that of Madras. 



CARICA 

 PAPAYA 



The Papaw 



CAREY A ARBOREA, /.'.*/*. ; FL Br. Ind., ii., 511; Gamble, Man. D.E.P., 

 . limbs., 364 ; Cooke, FL Pres. Bomb., i., 497 ; Duthie, FL Upper Gang. " 167. 

 in, 344-5 ; Brandis, Ind. Trees, 332 ; MYRTACE^:. The kumbi, ayma, 

 , putai-tanni-maram, kumbir, buda-durmi, kaval, gavuldu, banbwe, etc. 

 A large deciduous tree of rapid growth, frequent in the Sub-Himalayan tracts 

 the Jumna eastward and in Bengal, Burma, Central, South and West 

 ascending to 5,000 feet, also met with in the moist regions of Ceylon, 

 inson (Desc. Ace. Assam, 1841, 43) described it as a " tree of immense size, 

 wood . . . well adapted for the stocks of match-locks." It is much sub- 

 the defoliating lymantriid moth, Utmychlrn thtcaiteell, Moore. The 

 turn red in the cold season. 



't appears to yield a GUM, and a good FIBRE for coarse cordage and sacks aura and 

 ie from the bark, the latter part being also employed in TANNING and Fibre. 



Tasar silkworms feed on the leaves. The bark is also used as an Tan and Dye. 

 int MEDICINE ; when moistened it gives out much mucilage and is utilised 

 'reparation of emollient embrocations. The flowers are given as a tonic 

 ild-birth, and the dried calyces (vdkumbhd) of the flowers are sold in the Medicine, 

 as a demulcent in coughs and colds. The fruit, known as khuni, is eaten 

 ;he Panjab and is also given to cattle. According to Innes (Jungle Products, Food and 

 '8, 10) the bark is ground into a kind of flour in Oudli during famine. The Fodder. 

 are said to be more or less poisonous. The TIMBER, which is very durable Timber, 

 fairly hard, is used for agricultural implements, gunstocks, houseposts, 

 rbinet-work, etc., but Kurz says it is too heavy for such purposes (43 to 60 Ib. 

 cubic ft. ). It stands well under water, and is much admired for axles. " This 

 an important tree with a fine wood, which is too much neglected " (Gamble). 

 The fibrous bark is used as a slow-match in Mysore, and has been successfully 

 :ed by the Ordnance Department as a substitute for English beech in fuses. 

 Ganjam it serves for the scanty clothing of Hindus affecting sanctity. Rheede 

 'ort. Mai., Hi., 36) says that wild pigs are very fond of the bark, and that it 

 used by hunters to attract them. 



CARICA PAPAYA, Linn. ; FL Br. Ind., ii., 599 ; Cooke, FL D.B.P., 

 res. Bomb., i., 524 ; PASSIFLORE^E. Most of the vernacular names, " 



eya, papaya, papia, bappayi, popai, etc., are obviously derived from 

 he Carib ababai, which is still further corrupted into the English Papaw. 

 The Burmese name himbawthi means fruit brought by sea-going vessels, Castor-oil- 

 and the Panjabi name kharbuza is Castor-oil-Melon. 



History. A subherbaceous almost branchless tree, commonly cultivated in History. 

 gardens throughout India and in various localities more or less naturalised. The 

 Fruit is not mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as having been known to Akbar. 



was sent to Clusius from Brazil in 1611 (Hist. JExot. PL, app. 42), who 

 es good drawings of the male and female plants. George Marcgraf (Hist. 

 , in Piso, De Med. Bras., 1648, 103) furnishes an account of the plant, and a 

 short description, with a figure, is given by Jacobus Bontius (Hist. Nat. et Med. 

 I'i'l. Or., in Piso, Ind. Utri. re Nat. et Med., 1658, 96). It was figured and de- 

 scribed admirably by Boym in 1656 as an Indian plant introduced into China 

 ^t'n., pi. A), so that it must be regarded as another instance of the rapid 

 dispersion of new plants after the discovery of America. Rheede (Hort. Mai., i., 

 -I. i. 15), 1686, and Rumphius (Herb. Amb., i., t. 50), 1750, also figure and 

 describe both male and female plants, the former observing that the Malabar 



269 



