89 



As regards European culinary vegetables, Fiji is 

 badly supplied. In fact vegetables grown in the 

 colony are scarce and of bad quality, and seldom 

 found on the table of any of the settlers. One or two 

 market gardens have been established by Chinamen in 

 the vicinity of Lcvuka ; but even there, where there is 

 more demand for vegetables than in any other place in 

 Fiji, the supply is meagre, and neither fruit nor vege- 

 table markets exist. From the gardens of these China- 

 men, cabbages, lettuce, parsley, shallots, radishes, 

 French beans, pumpkins, and sometimes carrots, tur- 

 nips, and cucumbers may be obtained, but the quality is 

 invariably bad. This is owing to bad cultivation, — not 

 supplying sufficient water to the growing vegetables, 

 and cultivating them at wrong seasons. This will be 

 remedied in course of time, as the demand becomes 

 greater, and the people get acquainted with the 

 method of cultivating the different kinds, the best 

 season for planting, and the kind of soil best adapted 

 for each. 



Between vegetables peculiar to the tropics in the 

 warm wet season, and those belonging to the tem- 

 perate regions in the cool dry season, Fiji ought to be 

 well supplied with salads, pot vegetables, and fruits 

 of home growth all the year round. 



Parsnips, rhubarb, long carrots, brussels-sprouts, and 

 brocoli will not likely succeed well in Fiji. But turnips, 

 cauliflowers, celery, kohl-rabbi, salsifa, red cabbage, 

 broad beans, would succeed well during from three to 

 six months of the cool season of the year. Beet-root, 

 green peas, spinach, cucumbers, pumpkins, endive, 

 chicory, lettuce, turnips, and radishes, could be on the 

 table during from six to nine months of the year ; while 

 potatoes, asparagus, cabbage, short carrots, onions, 



