78 



cold rather than hot. The dalo, along with some sweet- 

 ening' matter, frequently forms the chief ingredient in 

 the native vakalolo, or puddings. The young leaves, 

 boiled and served like spinach, are an excellent vege- 

 table. Like the corms, they are extremely acrid 

 when raw, hut the acridity is removed by the heat 

 when cooking. 



There are about 18 different varieties of the dalo 

 cultivated in Eiji. They differ from each other princi- 

 pally in the size and colour of the leaves and leaf 

 stalks. Some of the varieties are very handsome plants, 

 deserving a place in any collection of plants for hot- 

 house decorations. The natives interchange the tops 

 for planting from one district to another, from a cold 

 district to a warm, from a Avet to a dry, and from one 

 kind of soil to another. The Fijians know, by expe- 

 rience, that these changes are beneficial to the dalo 

 plant, and that a larger and better crop is obtained than 

 by constantly cultivating the same sort in the same 

 district or kind of soil. When the "tops" are ready 

 for planting, before the ground is in proper order to 

 receive them, they are preserved by partly immersing 

 them in water, generally in some place where they are 

 shaded from the sun. 



Although the Fijians are well aware of the benefit 

 derived from manure when applied to then' "pet" 

 sugar caneSj they do not in general make use of it for 

 any of their crops. In selecting a piece of land for 

 growing their yams, &c, they are generally correct as 

 to the kind of land best adapted to the purpose, but as 

 in the choice of tin- situation they seem to be moved 

 by fancy. They have a Large area to chose from, and 

 tin spol selected may be as far as 5 or G miles from 

 llic town wliciv they live. Not because there is no 



