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mereial success in Natal, as our clirriate is in my opinion not 

 sufficiently tropical ; the winter temperature falling too low to 

 suit it. It will be well to note that I have Ijeen informed by 

 Mr. H. Bisset that this plant is peculiarly liable to be attacked 

 by white ants, more so, I think he stated, than any other plant 

 he knew of ; so in putting it out care should be taken to give 

 it protection of some kind, and I can recommend nothing betfer 

 than a flower pot with the bottom sawn oft", or a piece of 

 earthenware pipe, of say 18 inches long sunk in the ground, 

 leaving about 3 inches above the surface, and then placing the 

 plant in the centre. Roses planted in this way in the Gai-deii 

 several years ago, are still alive, while without this protection 

 they would scarcely have lived three months. 



Pistachia vera. " Pistachia Nut." 



A paper on the cultivation of this plant, and its commercial 

 value was forwarded for my information by the Commissioner 

 of Agriculture. The trees are of different sexes, and are 

 usually grafted on other species of the genus, one of which, 

 viz. P. lentiscus is flourishing in the Gardens, and T thought it 

 therefore quite likely that the true species would do equally 

 well; I therefore took steps to obtain seeds of it, and am pleased 

 to say that I have been successful, two small bags were 

 received at the close of the year, and were at once sown. 



In the meantime some little doubt exists as to whether the 

 plant we received and have cultivated as P. lentiscus is really 

 that plant or not ; the head gardener has pointed out that it 

 appears to be the same species as another plant which we have 

 received as Schinus terebinthifolia, and this matter cannot well 

 be decided until the flowers appear, which will be early in the 

 year. Plants of our P. lentiscus have been reared from seed 

 with the intention of grafting the P. vera upon them, as soon 

 as scions can be obtained ; but if our P. lentiscus should turn 

 out not to be the right plant, seeds of another species will have to 

 be obtained, and in the meantime the plants of P. vera will be 

 grown on, until stocks can be got ready for grafting upon. 



Manihot utilissirtia. " Cassava " or " Manioc." 



In my last Report I gave a short account of the manner in 

 which the roots of this plant are generally used in Mauritius ; 

 since then I have received from Mr. Bijoux, and afterwards 

 from Mr. Le Vieux, some of the biscuits made from this root 

 for trial, and I have found them very pleasant, though some 

 people profess not to like them ; they are slightly sweetened, 

 and one good property they have is that on being dipped for 

 one instant into any fluid they at once become quite soft. We 

 have had no applications from persons in the colony for 



