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but to some stomachs ivi nuts arc very indigestible, 

 even when well masticated. The nuts of the tavola 

 (terminalia catappa) the " Country almond " of 

 India, is also extensively eaten during its season. 

 It requires no cooking, and has a pleasant almond- 

 like taste. 



In order to preserve the produce of the earth from 

 one season to another, or to guard against want during 

 a season of drought, or a scarcity of food from any 

 cause, the Eijian digs a circular hole in the ground 

 4 or 5 feet deep, and lines it with leaves. The hole is 

 then filled with bread fruit,bananas, dalo, daiga, kawai, 

 a kind of yam, &c, all thrown together or placed in 

 layers. The whole is then thickly covered with leaves 

 and earth. The mass soon begins to ferment, and 

 emits a strong, sour, and very nauseous smell, which 

 may be felt at a distance of more than half a mile on 

 the leeward side of the pits. In a short time the 

 different materials form a tough doughy looking 

 lump. A portion of this is taken out as required, and 

 baked on hot stones or steamed in an earthen pot. 

 Such is the materials from which the Eijian bread, 

 madrai, is made, — certainly not inviting to the palate 

 of a European. In this manner some kinds of food 

 arc kept from one year to another. 



So few potatoes are cultivated in Eiji, either by the 

 natives or by settlers, that they are scarcely worth 

 mentioning. That they would grow well, especially 

 in the dry parts of Eiji, and during the dry and cool 

 season, cannot be doubted. The settlers have not 

 time to devote to their cultivation, and the natives 

 are still ignorant of it. At present small quantities 

 of them are imported from Australia and New 

 Zealand, chiefly by dealers, and sold to the settlers. 



