74, 



CHAPTER III. 



Fijian Food Plants — Method of Cultivation — 

 Vegetables. — &c. 



Tee instincts of the Fijian arc agricultural, and it 

 may be said that he finds a use for all the vegetable 

 products of his country, and has a name (sometimes 

 several) for each individual plant. His knowledge 

 of their use is seldom at fault, and they provide him 

 a never failing supply for all his needs. Of food 

 plants lie cultivates yams, dalo or taro, sugar cane, 

 //' dracsena sp., bread fruit, &c. With great aptitude he 

 selects from the forest portions of land best adapted 

 for the several kinds of crops. The effects of nature 

 on the vegetation which surrounds him are his guides 

 to the season for digging, planting, and gathering in 

 his crops. Of cereals he cultivates very little, maize 

 for Government taxes being the chief. 



The people live principally on yams, dalo, bana- 

 nas, bread fruit, with fish, fowls, pork, and several 

 kinds of greens. Their drink is generally water, or 

 the milk of the cocoa-nut. When tired, or on fes- 

 tive occasions, they use agona or Jcava. The yam, 

 uvi, is their staple food; they have about 20 diffe- 

 rent sorts under cultivation. Some of the varieties 

 are very fine, mealy, and free from fibre, like a 

 good potato. The tubers of some of the kinds do 

 not exceed two or three lbs. in weight, but those of 

 one or two sorts weigh as much as 100 lbs. in weight. 

 The Fijians say that the yam thrives best in hard or 

 rough, unprepared ground. This may very probably 

 be owing to the ground being new and rich. 



