Edible Products. 



130 



[August, 1908. 



dress coconut palms with slow-acting 

 manures such as bone meal, basic slag, 

 organic refuse, cotton seed meal, etc., 

 instead of using quick-acting manures, 

 such as nitrate of soda and superphos- 

 phate. In the former case, the results 

 are not at once apparent, but they are 

 continuous, and spread over a consider- 

 able time. Nitrogen and phosphoric acid 

 are stated to be the elements chiefly 

 necessary, but, except on very heavy 

 soils, an occasional dressing of a potas- 

 sic manure should certainly also be given, 

 since large quantity of potassium salts are 

 removed from thesoilbyacropof coconuts. 



When the husks are removed from the 

 nuts on the plantation, these should 

 always be buried between the rows of 

 palms, since a considerable amount of 

 fertilizing matter is returned to the soil 

 in this way. 



An average return of nuts is usually 

 considered to be about 3,000 per acre, 

 and, assuming sixty trees to this area, 

 each tree would give about fifty nuts. 

 With judicious cultivation and manur- 

 ing, However, this return, it is stated, 

 is not infrequently increased to seventy 

 or eighty nuts per tree, which means a 

 total of from 4,200 to 4,800 nuts per acre- 

 — Agrieidtural News, Vol. VII., No. 150. 

 April, 1908. 



LIST OP JUNGLE PRODUCTS USED 

 BY THE POOR DURING THE 

 FAMINE, 1896-7. 



By T. E. D. Innes, 

 Agent, Balrampur Estate. 

 {Concluded from page 85.) 



Grasses. 



74. Bhusi Dhan (Oryza saliva, L., 

 Nat. Ord. Gramineoe). — This is simply 

 the husks of the rice, which was ground 

 down and made into flour and eaten as 

 bread. Not very nutritive. 



75. Dhonra (Eleusine coracana, 

 Goertn., Nat. Ord. Gramineoe). — A grass 

 commonly found in the fields. The seed 

 is collected and husked and eaten like 

 rice. It ripens about September. It has 

 the appearance of rice from which is 

 cannot be easily distinguished, when the 

 plants are young and small. [Kurakkan.] 



76. Senwai (Panicum, sp).— A kind of 

 grass very common in all fallow lands 

 and along roadsides. It ripens about 

 Octber and November, and is collected 

 at all times by the very poor, who scrape 

 it together on the ground with stiff 

 brooms made from thick grass or twigs. 

 The seed is collected and husked and 

 faten like rice. It was greatly sought 

 eater during the famine, and even in 



ordinary years is collected and used by 

 the very poor. [Many species in Ceylon.] 



77. Bauri (Panicum, sp., Nat. Ord. 

 Gramineoe.). — A kind of grass which 

 grows on high land. The grain is 

 gathered, husked, and eaten like rice. 

 It ripens in October. 



78. Makra Ghas (Setaria _ glauca, 

 Beauv., and Panicum Crusgalli, L., Nat. 

 Ord. Gramineoe). — A grass which grows 

 in fallow lands, and its seed is collected 

 by the poor by scratching it up with 

 stiff brooms from the ground. It is 

 husked and eaten like rice and is most 

 edible. [Common in Ceylon : Kawalu 

 and Wel-marukku. j 



79. Bandri (Setaria glauca, Beauv). — 

 A kind of grass which springs up in the 

 rains and ripens in September. The 

 grain is gathered, husked, and eaten 

 like rice. [Common in Ceylon.] 



80. Kodrell (Paspalum scrobicu- 

 latum 1, Nat. Ord. Gramineoe). — A kind 

 of grass found on high ground and 

 fallow lands. The seed is collected, 

 husked, and eaten like rice. Ripens 

 about October and collected by scraping 

 the grouud with stiff brooms. [Common 

 in Ceylon. Amu, Sinh. ; Waragu, Tarn. 



81. Tinni (Oryza sativa, L., Nat. Ord. 

 Gramineoe). — Pound in j heels and is a 

 kind of wild rice and most edible. It 

 ripens about October when it is gathered 

 and eaten like other rice. [Rice.] 



82. Pursahi (Hygrorhiza aristata, 

 Necr., Nat. Ord. Gramineoe).— A wild 

 rice which is found in j heels, which 

 ripens in October and is gathered and 

 eaten like other rice. 



83. Dahi.— A commod grass found in 

 the jungle. The leaves are boiled and 

 used as a vegetable. 



Weeds. 



84. Dana Petwa (Hibiscus sabdariffa, 

 L., Nat. Ord. Malvaceoe).— When the fruit 

 is unripe it is cooked and eaten, and 

 when ripe they are taken and parched, 

 and either eaten whole, or ground and 

 made into sattu. The flower is also 

 boiled and eaten as vegetable. A chatni 

 is made of the outside of the ripe fruit. 

 Ripens in October. [The rozelle.] 



85. Chakwand (Uassia occidentalis, 

 L., Nat. Ord. Legumiosoe). — A very 

 common weed. The seed is gathered, 

 parched, aud flour made of it. The 

 leaves are also boiled and used as a vege- 

 table. It was only used during the 

 famine, as it is more or less poisonous as 

 far as the seeds are concerned, but the 

 leaves are innocuous. The leaves Tare 

 eaten in June and July, and the seed 

 ripens in October. [Common in Ceylon.] 

 Peti-tora, Sinh.] 



