17 



cargoes are bringing from 4|d. to 6f d. per foot super, of 1 inch 

 thick. There would be perhaps 325-350 feet to the ton of this 

 wood. The Assinee wood is selling well, but it is very well 

 gotten out, or squared. I see no reason at all why the other 

 should not do equally well." 



In " Timbers of Commerce and their Indentification," by 

 Herbert Stone, F.L.S., F.R.C.I., a work lately published, a 

 photo-micrographic section of this wood is shown, but there is 

 no information about it. Plants of this tree have been sent to 

 the Agricultural Department through the Conservator of 

 Forests, and they have, I understand, been forwarded to the 

 experimental grounds in Zuiuland for trial there. 



Arachisa hypogsea. " Ground Nut." — 1 have several times 

 alluded to this crop, which does not seem to find much favour 

 in Natal, but I note that other countries are paying much 

 attention to it, and a few extracts from the Annual Report of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens in Ceylon just to hand may not be 

 out of place. As to the varieties under cultivation it is said : — 



"Seeds have been imported from Saigon, Tanjore, Pon- 

 dicherry, Madagascar, Mauritius, Barbados, and Brazil. The 

 Saigon variety is remarkable for the smallness of the fruits, 

 and the small rounded character of the seeds. Experience with 

 other products, particularly castor, has convinced many that 

 the small seeded varieties often give the heaviest crops, and in 

 consequence of this the Saigon variety is still being experi- 

 mented with, and our supplies will soon enable us to lay out 

 large reliable plots with this variety. The Tanjore and Mada- 

 gascar varieties are about equal as far as their leaf-producing 

 and cropping capacities are concerned. Since neither variety 

 yield a larger crop than that obtainable from Mauritius or 

 Barbados or as much leaf as the smallest cropping variety, 

 Pondioherry, it is proposed to delete them from further experi- 

 ments. The Pondicherry variety is being propagated because 

 it gives the maximum amount of leaf and stem and least nut 

 crop, and is therefore best suited for green manure purposes. 

 The Mauritius and Barbados varieties give good crops, and are 

 being specially attended to with a view to making them the 

 principal varieties for crop cultivation. The Brazil variety, 

 though not a very heavy cropper, is being cultivated on account 

 of the fact that it is the easiest of the lot to harvest, and also 

 because it is, perhaps, the only variety which can be cultivated 

 under the shade of cocoanuts, cacao, &c. 



" Yields. — The following yields have been obtained: — 

 Variety. Where cultivated. Yield per acre. 



Mauritius. In open. 1,750 lbs. 



,, Under mature cocoanuts. 840 ,, 



„ Under mature cacao. 560 ,, 



