110 BRITISH HONDURAS. 



small extent among the settlers ; pindar-nuts (Arachis hypogcea), 

 a productive plant in light sandy soils ; cro ton-oil-tree (Croton 

 tiglium), a common East India plant ; castor oil plant (Ricinus 

 communis), already a common weed near cultivated areas ; 

 physic nut (Jatropha curcas), which yields a valuable medicinal 

 oil; the African oil-palm (Elceis guineensis) ; the butter-tree 

 (Hassia butyracea), a native of Bengal ; and the horse-radish- 

 tree, or oil of Ben tree (Moringa pterygosperma), a very free- 

 growing and hardy tree, common in the West Indies. 



Cloves. This tree, yielding the cloves of commerce, has not, 

 I believe, been tried in British Honduras, but it is very probable 

 that it will grow well in free, well-drained soils and in sheltered 

 situations, similar to those recommended for nutmegs. The 

 portions of the tree which form an article of commerce are the 

 dried calyces, or flower buds. After being gathered, these are 

 prepared for shipment by smoking on hurdles covered with 

 matting over a slow fire to give them a brown colour. The 

 process is completed by further drying in the sun. The best 

 kind of cloves are obtained from Penang, Bencoolen, Amboyna, 

 and Zanzibar. 



Fodder Plants. At present, owing to the vast extent of 

 uncleared forest land, fodder plants, such as good grasses, are not 

 abundant in the colony. It is true that the vast stretches of 

 land called "pine ridges" afford extensive pasture lands of 

 rather coarse herbage for cattle and sheep, but for horses 

 especially, it is very advisable to extend the cultivation of 

 guinea grass (Panicum jumentorum), which appears to be 

 admirably adapted to the colony. The water or Para grass 

 (Panicum larbinode) has been introduced by some planters from 

 Demerara, and for damp situations, quite beyond the reach of 

 cultivated areas, it is an abundant and useful fodder plant. It 

 is, however, very undesirable to introduce it anywhere where 



