149 



All the last four, the artichoke, the salad onion, the carrot and 

 the beet, might be produced commercially on hills that are near to 

 some of the larger markets. The true spinach and that excellent 

 little cucurbit the cho-cho, might also be produced payingly in the 

 same places. Endive could be grown too. 



In the genus Brassica, the Chinese cabbage is the only one 

 really suited to the plains : but it is inferior to the European 

 members, of which the cabbage, the brussels spi'out, the knol-kohl, 

 the turnip and the kohl-rabi appear likely plants for the hills only. 

 But mustard and cress might be grown anywhere if the hills could 

 produce the needed seed. 



There is no difficulty in raising lettuce, and watercress. 



Tropical spinaches are easily found : and one, Basella alba, 

 might very well be common in estate gardens. Amarants can also be 

 raised easily for spinach, and are better than the kangkong 

 (Ipomoea aquatica) which the Chinese cooks serve up. Beet leaves 

 can also be used for spinach ; and there is a Javanese spinach, 

 Talinum verticillatum, which is not used in the Malay Peninsula. 



I pass to those vegetables, which are at the same time fruits. 



Peas cannot be expected to succeed on the plains, but do well in 

 the hills. There, and in the plains as well, French beans can be 

 i-aised. But better for the climate of the plains are Dolichos lahldb, 

 Vigna catiang, CajanuB indictis, and Psophocaiyus tetragonolohus. The 

 last named, I consider, at its right age, a most excellent vegetable. 

 The first named, in one of its best races, is a table vegetable 

 in France : but its worst races are, about maturity, dangerous. 



Of Cucurbits, I believe that all the following can be grown 

 if means be devised to protect the fruit from the little fruit flies, 

 Benincasa cerifera, the wax gourd ; Cucumis sativus, the cucumber, 

 Cucurbita melo, the melon ; Cuctirbita pepo, the pumpkin ; Cucurbita 

 maxima, the gourd ; Cttcurbita moschata, the musk melon ; Citrulhis 

 vulgaris, the water melon ; Luffa acutangula, the loufah ; Moinor- 

 dica charantia ; Lagenaria vulgaris, the calabash ; and Trichosanthes 

 anguina, the snake-goui'd. The Chinese raise some in paper bags 

 and those generally of inferior races with firm skins. Just as the 

 papaya protects its fruits by a milky juice, so may it be possible to 

 prevent the attacks of the fruit fly by chemical means. 



The tomato and the brinjal can be so readily grown that no 

 more need be said of them. 



Vegetables repay rich soil so well that the chief problem in 

 regard to them is manure. Near our larger towns every hollow of 

 good eai-th is likely to be given over to them, and a better use there 

 could not be. Pig fattening brings a certain supply of manure to 

 the market gardenei-s who till them : but manures generally are 

 here costly : so that a limit is put to our supplies by reason of the 

 difficulty of getting, and maintaining when got, the fertile soil 



