3 



SALSAFY. 



Salsafy, or Salsify, (Traijopogon porrifolium), is a culinary vegetable, cultivated for its long, 

 white, fleshy roots. It is nearly related to Chicory, Dandelion, Lettuce, and still more nearly to 

 Scorzonera. 



It has smooth, grass-like leaves, a thickened hollow flower-stalk, and rose-coloured or purple 

 flowers. 



The root contains a milky juice on which its great value as a vegetable depends. It is antibil- 

 ious, cooling, deobstruent, and slightly aperient. It is inferior in those proporties to Sc orzonora, and 

 does not keep so well, when taken out of the ground, but it grows more freely. It is cooked in the 

 same way as Scorzonera, but requires longer boiling. 



Sow during light rains, in drills 12 inches apart, and thin out so that tho plants may be nine 

 inches apart in the drills ; or sow broadcast, and thin out to the same distances. 



The soil should be deep, and well dug up before sowing, but not manured too soon before sowing, 

 for in that case, the root will fork. 



SCORZONERA. 



Scorzonera, or the particular species Scorzonera hispanica, is an esculent vegetable, much like 

 Salsafy, and has the same properties, being indeed considered superior, though more difficult to grow. 



The cultivation is the same as for Salsify ; the root is not generally used in England the first 

 year, as it is small. 



The "Treasury of Botany" speaks thus of it : — 



"Its effects on the digestive organs are to increase the flow of gastric juice and bile, and as it aots 

 as a deobstruent generally, it is slightly aperient. Its antibilious power is scarcely inferior to that 

 of dandelion, if at all so, being, it is believed, superior in this property to any other esculent in use 

 in this country ; and it is on this account one of tho best remedies in many (if not in most) cases of 

 indigestion, and especially for that state of the digestive organs called bilious. 



'• These good effects, however cannot be insured unless the vegetable is properly cooked, as its 

 medicinal qualities may be quickly destroyed. It should be cut as little as • possible, and washed, not 

 scraped, as the abundant milky juice on which its salutary properties depend then escapes. After 

 boiling for about twenty or twenty-five minutes, or till it is quite soft (rather more salt being added 

 to the water than usual in cooking vegetables), it is to bo taken out and peeled, as the dark skin then 

 comes off as readily as that of a boiled potato. When fresh from the garden a quarter of an hour 

 may be sufficient, which it is of some importance to the invalid to know, because after it has become 

 qufte soft all further boiling is injurious to its medicinal qualities, and soon destroys them ; but when 

 it has lain out of the ground for a long time and become hardened, it may require twice the time bail- 

 ing, the rule then being to boil it till it is soft. It is usually eaten in the same way as asparagus, 

 which is the preferable mode for the invalid. As it is one of the most agreeable of vegetables in point 

 of flavour, it undoubtedly deserves to be much more cultivated." 



POTATOES. 



Secretary Jamaica Institute. Good Hope, 27th June, 1892. 



Bear Mr. Cundall, 



I send a specimen of potatoes — 14 weighing 71bs. — grown at Good Hope, with ordinary care. 

 You can show them to Mr. Fawcett or any others interested in tropical agriculture. It will show them 

 to what perfection the potato can be brought in this country. Of course those sent are picked ones, 

 but they are sold at Pinnock's as they are dug from the ground with the exception of a very few small 

 ones. They are from the third crop from the same ground. 



With kindest regards, 



I remain yours truly, 



H. C. Munn. 



Mr. Munn has been good enough to give the following furthor information : — 



" In a piece of ground less than | acre, I planted 1£ barrels, or 225 lbs. of potatoes, and it yielded 



2,334 lbs., sold at l^d. per lb.— £14 lis. 9d. 



Cost of seed, ill 4s. 6d. ; labour, £1 8s,; manure, 15s. ; cutting seed, Is. \ digging crop, lis. ; 



carriage to town, £2 6s. ; total, £6 5s. 6d. Therefore clear pr»fit — £8 6s. 3d. 



BOTANICAL GARDENS IN JAVA. 



The following account of these Gardens is taken from one by Br. Treub. tho present Birector ; 

 it appeared originally in the "Revue des Deux Mondes," and later, as a translation, in the" Chautauquau". 



"The number of Botanical Gardens situated within the tropical zone is much greater than is gene- 

 rally supposed. It is necessary to say however, that not all are Botanical Gardens, in the proper 

 sense of the word, but rather limited agricultural stations or gardens of acclimatization. Some among 

 them merit the name of great scientific establishments, and, holding tho first rank in this list, are the 

 gardens of Calcutta, and those on the Islands of Ceylon and Java. We propose briefly to trace the 

 history of the last of these three, and to show by a study of its organization, how a new era is begin- 

 ning for such institutions and that they are destined to play a steadily increasing part in the evolution 

 of vegetable life. 



On the 29th of October, 1815, a squadron, quitting the roadstead of Texel, in the north of 

 Holland, set sail for tho East Indies. It was taking to Java the commissioners-general to whom the 

 sovereign of Holland had confided the office of taking back from England in his name the Government 



