266 



[October, 1912. 



most paying crop from there. Jaffna cigars, though beloved of the people 

 of Jaffna, are not popular in other parts of the island and even if they 

 were the local market could not probably absorb all the tobacco that 

 Travancore rejects. It would seem, therefore, that if they are not to 

 suffer a set-back in prosperity the Jaffna cultivators must make a bid in 

 an outside market, namely the European. To effect an entry into the 

 European market new types and new methods of curing will have 

 to be introduced. But, it is said, the Jaffna people are so conservative 

 and so wedded to their present methods that they will never come to 

 adopt new ones. That to our mind is an argument that at present carries 

 no weight. It must be first demonstrated that tobacco for the European 

 market can be successfully produced in Jaffna. If and vyheu that has 

 been done and the Jaffna cultivator does not follow the lead given him he 

 cannot complain afterwards about being left behind. We do not believe 

 it of him. But in any case the Government or the Society will have done 

 its duty by him, 



Operations, if successful in Jaffna, would soon come to be imitated in 

 other parts of the island, but the question of the suitability of Ceylon 

 for growing cigarette tobacco, for example, would not be finally disposed 

 of if Jaffna proved unsuitable. 



THE DURIAN. 



(Illustrated.) 



Durio zibethinus (Malvacece). Durian ; Civet-oat Fruit.— A very large, 

 handsome pyramid-shaped tree, of the Malayan Archipelago, and com- 

 monly cultivated in the Straits, Burma, Java, &c, for the sake of its 

 celebrated fruit. The lattei is produced on the older branches, varies 

 somewhat from round to oval in shape, and usually weighs from 5 to 7 

 lbs. or more. It is armed with thickly set formidable prickles about 

 half inch long ; when ripe it becomes slightly yellow, and possesses an 

 odour which is intensely offensive to most people, especially on first 

 acquaintance with it. The cream-coloured pulp surrounding the seed is 

 the edible portion; this is most highly prized by the Malays and other 

 oriental people, and is also relished by Europeans who acquire a taste 

 for it. Firminger described it as "resembling blanc-mange, delicious as 

 the finest cream," whilst Mr. Russell Wallace considered that " eating 

 durians is a sensation worth a voyage to the East." The large 

 seeds may be roasted and eaten like chestnuts. Pounded into flour, 

 they are said to be sometimes made into a substance like "vegetable- 

 ivory." The Durian tree thrives in the moist low-country of Ceylon up to 

 2,000 feet elevation, and luxuriates in deep alluvial or loamy soil. In 

 Peradeniya Gardens, there are magnificent specimens well over 100 feet in 

 height. They usually flower in March or April, and the fruit is ripe in 

 July or August. Durian fruits are variable in size, shape, flavoui and 

 quantity of pulp, according to variety. The trees also vary in productive- 

 ness, some varieties being almost barren. Selection and high cultivation 

 should, therefore, be practised in order to obtain the best fruits. The 

 tree is readily propagated by seed if sown fresh ; the seed is of short 

 vitality and germinates in seven to eight days.— (MacmiUan.) 



