Edible Products 



242 



[March, 1909. 



South Sea Islands for the purpose of 

 transporting live plants of the bread- 

 fruit tree to the West Indies, where the 

 tree is now established and commonly 

 cultivated. The best varieties do not 

 bear seeds. The tree is largely grown 

 along the south-western sea-coast in 

 Ceylon. 



Jak-fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia).— 

 This enormous fruit, which may weigh 

 anything up to 112 lbs., is borne on the 

 trunk and older branches, sometimes 

 at the base of the trunk, or even under 

 the ground surface. It is always green, 

 with a white or cream-coloured, fleshy, 

 solid mass of pulp. In shape it is usually 

 oblong and irregular, though sometimes 

 almost round or oval. The succulent 

 rind consists of somewhat hexagonal 

 knobs. In Ceylon the Jak-fruit forms 

 an important article of food to the 

 natives. It is cut up into sections and 

 sold in every bazaar or boutique at a few 

 cents per portion. When ripe, the 

 whole fruit has an overpowering odour. 

 The large, oval seeds are roasted and 

 eaten in curries. 



Granadilla (Passiflora qiiadrangu- 

 laris).—A strong-growing climber, bear- 

 ing large, oblong, greenish-yellow fruits, 

 not unlike small vegetable marrows, 

 which are hollow when ripe and contain 

 a mass of purplish, sweet acid-pulp, 

 mixed with the flat seeds. In an unripe 

 state the succulent portion of the fruit 

 is boiled and used as a vegetable. The 

 fleshy, tuberous root also furnishes an 

 article of food. 



Houdapare {DiUenia indica). — A me- 

 dium-sized tree, with large, hand- 

 some, serrate leaves, native of Ceylon 

 and other parts of tropical Asia. It 

 produces a profusion of large, round, 

 green fruits, each about 3 inches in dia- 

 meter, being very juicy and acid. The 

 fruit is formed by the much-enlarged, 

 fleshy, closely-imbricate sepals ; it is 

 used for making jelly and a cooling 

 drink, also as a vegetable in curries. 

 The tree is suited to most districts at 

 medium elevations, and is often culti- 

 vated both for ornament and its fruit 



H. F. MACMILLAN, f.l.s. 

 —The Gardener's Chronicle., Vol. XLIV,, 

 No, 3548. December, 1908. 



RICE CULTURE IN THE UNITED 

 ; STATES. 



Rice growing has become an important 

 industry in the United States, notably 

 in Louisiana, Texas s the Carolinas and 

 Georgia. Lowlying lands, easily irri- 

 gated and drained, naturally constitute 

 the chief part of the area given o vex- 



to rice culture, and it is stated that the 

 best results ai'e obtained on medium 

 loamy soils, underlaid by a stiff subsoil. 

 A rice that has given excellent results 

 in the States is a Japanese variety 

 known as "Kiushu." Carolina Golden 

 rice is also famous for its yield and 

 quality, 



A British consular report (No. 625, mis- 

 cellaneous series) was issued some time 

 ago, giving a full and elaborate account 

 of the methods of cultivation, irriga- 

 tion, harvesting, thrashing, etc., in 

 general practice among the rice growers 

 of the States. The following extracts, 

 which may be of some interest to cul- 

 tivators in British Guiana and other 

 parts of these colonies where rice is 

 grown, have been taken from this report. 



For purposes of irrigation, rice fields 

 are surrounded by a mar ginal canal, and 

 are divided up into strips of land about 

 50 feet wide and of various lengths by 

 ditches which extend from the marginal 

 canal on the side of the field to the 

 marginal canal on the other. These 

 ditches are about three feet wide and 

 three to four feet deep. 



The surface of the field should have a 

 uniform grade in order to be properly 

 irrigated. An uneven surface requires 

 more labour, produces smaller crops, and 

 in the end damages the crop itself. Too 

 much water in some places and too little 

 in others soon show injurious effects on 

 the soil. On such a field the crop does 

 not ripen uniformly, the field shows 

 alternate patches of yellow and green, 

 and the grain when harvested is found 

 very inferior in quality. The planter 

 whose crop is uniform in quality knows 

 the value of applying water evenly over 

 the entire surface. The rice lands of the 

 Gulf and Atlantic states have a very 

 gentle slope and do not, as a rule, require 

 much grading, 



Drainage is very essential to rice 

 culture. Planting, cultivating, and har- 

 vesting all depend to a considerable 

 extent on drainage. On grounds in- 

 sufficiently drained planting is never well 

 done, for the ground cannot be put in 

 condition, cultivation is greatly impeded, 

 men cannot go on the fields to work, the 

 ground cannot be stirred, and weeds and 

 noxious grasses flourish. 



Before the crop can be harvested, it is 

 necessary that the field be drained. When 

 the land is wet the harvester works at 

 a great disadvantage, the fields are dug 

 up by the labourers, and the surface be- 

 comes sodden and sour. On account of 

 insufficient drainage, grain has otten to 

 be taken from the fields to some high 

 place where it is stacked and cured. - 



