ISO 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Physic-nut, a merely occasional inmate of gardens in Madeira, 

 where, however, it appears to thrive and prosper, is not only com- 

 pletely naturalized in the principal islands of the Cape Verdes, 

 thickets of it filling up whole valleys, but its culture is becoming 

 yearly an object of more increasing interest to the inhabitants. 

 Already its nuts have become one of their most valuable exports, 

 being sent in large quantities chiefly to Lisbon, whence the oil 

 they yield is said to be reexported into Trance and to be much 

 used in machinery ; in the Cape Yerdes themselves it is the 

 universal lamp-oil. The plant is propagated with the greatest 

 ease by planting in rows rough stakes or branches ; and in this 

 way it is employed universally for fencing-purposes. It is also 

 self-propagating by its abundant nuts or seeds, the kernels of 

 which are sweet and pleasant to the taste, but very soon act as 

 both a violent emetic and cathartic. 



128. Maniiiota Ain Pohl. This is by far the most valuable 

 and important vegetable esculent of the Cape Verdes, its long 

 tubers forming together with Indian corn or maize the main food 

 of all classes. It is grown in the fields, planted in rows, and re- 

 quires a rich light soil. Cuttings of the stems or branches, about 

 a foot long, are planted in shallow trenches in a sloping or oblique 

 direction and pretty thickly (to allow for failures in striking), with 

 manure at the bottom of the trench, much in the same way as the 

 Sweet Potato. Nothing further but occasional watering is needed ; 

 and the tubers begin to form towards the end of the first year, but 

 are not considered to be mature or large enough for use before 

 they are two or three or even four years old. They are then often 

 12-18 inches long and as thick as a man's leg or arm, mostly tap- 

 shaped, of a pale yellowish creamy white like a parsnip, and even 

 while raw very pleasant to the taste, being crisp and juicy with a 

 sweet creamy or nutty flavour. Boiled or toasted they resemble 

 Spanish chestnuts in flavour, but they are much firmer in consist- 

 ence though mealy. The only drawback is often a good deal of 

 stringy fibre in the middle. 



The ordinary Brazilian Manhiot or Cassava with poisonous juice 

 (3f. utilissima Pohl) is not cultivated in the Cape Verdes. I 

 have formerly seen one of the two sorts (probably M. Aipi Pohl) 

 apparently thriving in the Deanery garden at Pimchal in Ma- 

 deira. 



129. Biennis Palma Ciiristi L. The Castor-oil-tree is com- 

 pletely naturalized and self-propagating in all the islands ; but its 

 oil is only partially employed domestically, whether for light or 



