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are produced in about four years, are said to be large and of a good flavour. Such a fruit ought 
to be a great acquisition to a tropical country — and I hope we shall succeed in the culture of this 
interesting plant. 
Tuberous-rooted Bean (Pachyrrhizus). — Under the name of "Dolichos tuberosus" we received 
from Kew in June last seeds of a pulse which appears to be a useful addition to the vegetable garden. 
The young plants put out in August grew vigorously over the ordinary bamboo supports, and in 
November produced a crop of large pods which, sliced and served like French beans, were very sweet 
and tender. But besides the pods the plant also afforded large, elongated, arrowroot-like tubers on 
the roots, which, though without much taste, are palatable when well cooked, and somewhat like a 
very firm-fleshed turnip. I have not been able to trace the name under which the seeds were 
received, but the plant appears to be a variety of Pachyrrhizus ang ulatus, Rich. (Dolichos bulbosus, L.) 
which, though said to be widely grown as a tropical vegetable, seems hitherto quite unknown in 
Ceylon.* 
Cho-cho. — Mr. Nock writes : — 
It is interesting to note that the old plant, the parent of all in Ceylon, is in a very flourishing condition, 
and since the vines were cut back and the roots manured, it has produced a fine lot of handsome fruit, several of them 
weighing 3£ lb. each. I may also mention that the yam which the plant produces is much relished by the natives. 
It makes, to their taste, a first-rate curry, and is preferred by many of them to the "English" potato. To test the 
weight of yams one plant would produce I had one lifted, in October, and found it yielded 22 lb. of edible roots. 
This plant was about eighteen months old. 
Ullucus tuber osus. — Mr. Nock reports further on this plant : — 
It does very well in this climate and crops freely. On one root which I lifted I counted 263 tubers, varying 
in size from one inch in diameter to the size of small peas. The largest tuber in the whole crop weighed only f oz. ; 
but want of size is made up for by number, and the produce of one root would be enough for at least one 
good dish of curry. Its cultivation is exceedingly simple, and it will, I think, prove to be a valuable addition to the 
native vegetables. If the tubers are planted in good soil, about 18 in. apart, it matures its crop in from four to six 
months. All the cultivation it requires is to be kept free from weeds by hand, and watered occasionally in dry 
weather. The stems trail along the ground and produce roots at almost every joint, and these also produce tubers so 
that the soil about them must not be disturbed. As soon as the tops die down the tubers should be lifted, and are 
then ready for use. Like potatoes, those that are required for " seed " should be stored in a dry place until they begin 
to sprout, and they are then fit for planting. This would be about the month of April. 
Teff (Eragrostis Abyssinica). — At the beginning of April I received from the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, a small quantity of seeds of this cereal of Abyssinia. Some were sent to Hakgala, 
and Mr. Nock reports : — 
It was sown on the 5th, began to germinate on the 10th, and grew very fast. By the end of May it was 
18 in. high. It began to flower on the 15th of May. It was harvested in July, and yielded a crop of 41 ounces 
of grain. The yield would have been much larger but for the destruction by hares, which eat a considerable quantity 
of the young plants. The grain is very small, but well-tasted, and I have no doubt will make a good flour 
for cakes. 
I also sowed a bed at Peradeniya, which is at too low an elevation for this mountain grass. It 
was in flower by April 20, and seeded sparingly in June. In Abyssinia this small grain is much 
appreciated by all classes ; it is cultivated there at elevations of from 6,000 ft. to 7,000 ft. A full 
account will be found in the Kew " Bulletin " for January, 1887. 
Barley. — For some years this cereal has been grown by the Badagas on the Nilgiri hills for 
the use of the local brewery at Ootacamund, and on the initiation of Mr. J. W. Howard, manager of 
the branch of the same Company at Nuwara Eliya, an effort has been made to promote its cultiva- 
tion in our hill country. This gentleman has supplied those willing to try it with seed from N. 
India, free, and agreed to purchase the crops at Rs. 2 per bushel. He has, at my request, kindly given 
me the results so far, and he thinks them promising ; I fear, however, that our climate will in 
most years prove either too hot or too wet, or both, to allow of a crop ripening. The greatest 
success as yet has been met with at Welimada, on the slopes of Wilson's Bungalow, Uva, where in 
the season 1886-7 a crop of 30 bushels an acre (33-fold) was reaped in February, the seed having 
been sown in November. But in the present dry season (1887-8) the yield has been only 13-fold. 
The only other place where barley has been successfully grown is at Hanguranketa, where in 
1886-7 100 bushels were harvested ; but this season the crop has entirely failed there. Unsuccessful 
attempts have also been made at Uda Pussellawa, Matale, and K£ galla. Some 200 bushels have been 
brought to the brewery, but the grain was not fit for malting owing to the growers having harvested 
it before it was fully ripe.f 
Eucalyptus Plantation, Hakgala. — Mr. Nock writes : — 
The trees suffered very much during the high winds in June, July, and August, and the whole plantation 
looks very scrubby, as the tops of many of the best trees have been broken off and the branches torn about 
in all directions. It is evident that in exposed situations this class of trees should be planted very close 
together in order to support one another in rough weather. I find, too, that, like all other trees, to really thrive and 
make good timber they want good soil. They can, however, be grown for firewood on comparatively poor land. 
* Since the above was written, I am imformed by Mr. Thiselton Dyer that the seeds were received at Kew from 
Trinidad, and that the plant is the "Yam Bean" of the West Indies. 
t I have the opportunity of adding to the above the encouraging results of the present eeason (1887-8) in the 
WVlirnada fieldH. The grain wan roapod in March, and several samples competed for the prizes offered by Mr. Howard at 
t)i': Show held at, Nuwara BJiya at the beginning of April. All wore of remarkably good quality : the grain hard, dry, 
and well filled ; the best weighed as much as 50 lb. per bushel. The exceptionally dry season appears to have been 
very favourable to the complete ripening of the grain. 
te A 
