42 
Some writers have thought with the early botanists, such as 
Fuchifos and Mattioli, that the Romans grew this plant. But if 
of Podolian = Asiatic origin, and introduced to pom about 
1100 A then the *Siler" which served the Rom as 
vegetable, and a a superior form of which the Emperor "Tiberius 
eaused to be brought as an annual tribute from the Rhine (Pliny, 
Historia Naturalis liber xix., cap. 5), is not the skirret; and, 
indeed, the statement that the roots needed dishing up with 
honey to counteract their bitter taste almost proves this. = either 
Columella’s nor Pliny’s plant appe - to be Sium Sisaru 
England and France do not seem to have received the. ‘skirret 
until the sixteenth century, ag once introduced into these 
countries it was for more than a century in considerable favour - 
either fried or boiled, or as a salad with penes odorata. Italso 
seems to have had a medicinal use , just as Sium Ninsi is said to 
have in the far East, as S. nodi iflorum — had in the London 
Pharmacopeeia, and as S. latifolium in Franc 
en tells us a. every German iretur in his day contained — 
; but we have seen, this country, which appears to have | 
didtriboted it to Wein Europe, now hardly grows it. 
DOXLIV.—CACAO IN ECUADOR. (4 
Kew is indebted to a correspondent for the following interesting — 
ei ane of the production of Cacao in Ecuador. The par ies EC 
given wit spect to Cacao blanco (Theobroma bicolor) à 
eee for though it has not found its way into ioci 
the richne cá = beans in fat may some day lead to their being 
turned to nt. Trees have produced pods in the Botanie 
Gardens at Trinidad, and Tes have been reared from the seeds. 
SNR. J. V. SIGVALD MÜLLER to ROYAL GARDENS, KEW. 
cjo Sucesores de Rafael Valdez, 
uayaquil, Ecuado 
September 17, "1898. 
DEAR pun 
By sample post I forward to-day beans of Cacao Machala 
(fine) and of C FE blanco, which also comes from Machala 0 
the coast south here. 
1, Guayaquil will this os SEDET above 3,500,000 Ibs. ot 
Cacao, ires makes 200, 000 b 
2. All 
this i yi done with great care, and sometimes three to four days are 
used in the process. But it is said that only one day is often used. 
for the Cacao S from Balaoand Machala. Anyhow, it we 
