January i, 1889.] TH 1 TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
503 
very singular that the vauuted tanks, lurgo lakes, 
;iud iulaud freBh-water sea of the Madras Prenidency, 
as well as the immense ' jheels' of the North- Western 
Provinces and OuiJh, are not, as a rule, turned to 
most profitable account by being placed under Singhara 
cultivation. Tho dried nuts will, I believe, keep for 
many vara, an as arrowroot, or rather Singhara starch, 
will always sell in Kngland, either as food or for 
manufacturing purposes, all old Singhara stock could 
be so converted aud sold. 
"Like the grain of wheat, the kernel of the Sing- 
hara nut is capable of sustaining life for an inde- 
finite period, and is palatable, whether seasoned with 
salt and peppor, or made into porridge with sugar, 
ghoor, or jaggery. If the kernels are broken into 
small bits, they may then be ground into meal in a 
hand-mill, and the produce kueaded up into dough, 
and made into small ' chuppaties, ' or cakes. If the 
kernels be soked overnight in cold water, next morning 
a simple boiliug converts them into food — steaming 
would do as well, perhaps better ; but I have, as yet. 
only tried the soaked keruols in the boiled state. I have 
years ago eaten 'hulwa' made of Singhara meal, and 
it w»s more palatable than that made from fine 
wheat flour. 
"The Madras Presidency possesses some magnificent 
anciout waterworks. The Virauum tank, with its 
area of 35 square miles and its embankment of 12 
miles; Oauverypank tank, with its embankment of 
4 miles, rivetted along its entire length with stone • 
the Chembrumbaukum tank, looking like a picturesque 
inland sea, are of unknown antiquity. The first of 
these artificai lakes equals 22,400 acres of surface, aud 
the third being compared to an inland sea, may be ten 
times that size. It is an official authenticated fact that 
in Kashmir, 30,000 human beings are, for five months 
out of the year, fed and sustained on the Singhara 
nut, and if the picturesque inland tea uuder notice 
is at all deserving the name, its bed aud water sur- 
face might be most profitably utilised by being put 
under Singhara cultivation. The tank of 35 square 
mdes might become a first-class nursery for supply- 
ing setd nuts to Madras. 
" The productiveness of the water-nuts, per acre 
18 at present uuknown; but supposing the yield to 
be four quarters (4S0 lb. each) of nuts kernels per 
acre, then the 22,100 acres would give 43,800,000 
pouuds of food, and at 001b. per adult per month, 
the above quantity would suffice to feed 716,800 human 
beings for one mouth, and 143,3o0 adults for five 
mouths. The cost of this large and perennial supply 
of food would be a mere trifle. There are 4,000 square 
)«rds in one acre, aud allowing one seed nut to each 
>ard, the price of the nuts and the railway freight 
may be easily calculated .The first year's harvest would 
more than cover all cost and thereafter in prepetnity 
a harvest would result which would only have to bear 
the cost of watch, ward, and collection. The entire 
crop being State property, a very considerable revenue 
would bo derived from the sale of the uuta, even if 
koruels were sold at halt tho price of rice 'or other 
pain. 
"In good season, the agricultural population would 
lr M y Ote this cheap aud nourishing food, and sell and 
export rice crops &c., and in bad seasons of faniiue the 
pawing crop of water-nuts would be a stand by. Iu 
laot. their presence would go f.ir to prevent tho artificial 
production of local famine. 
" The nuts once sown re-sow themselves, and in this 
way tho square y.ird might soon bo growing nine water 
plants or more. The inl.nl sob, when covered with 
these nuts, would lea doiirco of wealth to the State 
*>nd the public would bo greatly benefltei'. As tho 
aitniil ox tension of tho cultivation, spontane. u- ami 
»rtifloieJ,isa very dimple affair, the Madras Go vernmi ut 
would, in a f,. w years, find thorns. Iv s to lie the pm- 
pn.'ti.rn of very valuable Singhara plantations. 
•'•P'ain I'.giou, writing from Simla, states:— 
I he Bingham not of li.d.a ami Kurop* boars fruit 
annually from tho old roots being a perennial aquatic 
plant. If town in water two feet deep, the nut- may 
M gather,, I i.j i„. wiling about, and collect!!.,; 
U»m ma lloati..; vwmjI, »uya tHegallon rank. If iu 
deeper water, any sort of raft, float, or canoe wil' 
have to be used, aud the nuts picked off. Iu this country 
(India) several pickings take place during the season, 
and the last batch of nut", i.e., those that are of a 
large size and the kernel hard, are boiled and so eaten. 
( (tiers are shelled and dired aud made into meal, 
while others again are buried whole, to be used next 
season for seed. For example, the pool or depression 
which has borne a crop of nuts may dry up during 
the hot weather; when the rains commence the locality 
will become a pool de novo and the stock of seed-nuts 
are then dug up and sown twelve inches apart in the 
shallow water, putting each nut about two inches deep 
in the submerged soil, and this process is repeated 
daily as the waters rise. In due course the nuts will 
germinate, and yield that year's harvest. Of course 
if the water did not dry up tne old roots would remain 
alive, and in season semi up a fresh crop of stems, 
which would iu due course bear fruit. Hence, if required 
to become a perennial crop, the nuts must be sown 
u the beds of shallow freshwater pools which never 
dry up. " 
The Pythagorian beau, the Nelumbo nuciferum, 
Gaertuar ; Nelumbo speciosum, Willdeuow ; and another 
species {N. luteum), have seeds of a particularly pleasant 
taste. The capsular fruit contains from twenty to 
forty of these seeds. The seed-vessel is of a peculiarly 
beautiful form, the top becoming detached when ripe, 
discloses a chamber with five partitions. The seeds 
were much used as food in ancient Egypt, but seem 
to be neglected now. These retain their vitality for 
several years. The tuberous roots of both species 
resemble the sweet potato (Batatas edulis), and are 
starchy. The root-stocks when boiled are farinaceous 
and agreeable, aud employed as food by the Osaga 
and other Western Indians. 
The seed-vessel, or receptacle of the fruit of the 
lotus fflT. speciosum) is large, in the shape of an inverted 
cone, and has the nuts placed loose in apertures, or 
cells, on the surface ; it has not inaptly been compared 
to the rose of a watering pot. The whole in process 
of time separates from the stalk, and laden with 
ripe oval nuts floats down the water. The nuts 
vegetating, it becomes a cornucopia of young sprouting 
plants, which at length break loose from their confine, 
ment, and take root in the mud. The lotus flower 
is highly venerated by the Hindus, and is given as 
a valuable offering to the gods. The seeds in India 
are eaten raw when green, aud rousted or boiled when 
ripe and hard. The root, which is two or three feet 
long, is eateu, boiled, as a vegetable. 
The Klanath Indians of North-West America live 
chiefly on the " tookow, " or seeds of the yellow water 
lily {Supluir lutea), which is the staple of their winter 
food. The capsules are broken, and the seeds separated 
from their husks. — Journal of the Society of Arts. 
DISTRIBUTION OF CEYLON EXPORTS. 
(From 1st Oct. 1888 to 10th Jan. 1889). 
COUMTHIKS. 
Coffee 
C'chona 
Branch 
* Trunk 
Tea. 
O'coa 
Carda- 
moms. 
owt. 
lb. 
lb. 
cwt. 
lb. 
To United Kingdom ... 
14306 
8887490 
7084119 
1852 
33871 
ii Marseilles 
29 
ii Uenoa ... 
a 
"l2S 
„ Venice ... 
1502 
37239 
,, Trieste 
*" 70 
ii Odessa ... 
ii Hamburg ... 
"400 
20745 
674 
,, Antwerp ... 
"ioo 
.. Krcmeu 
1 
"artoe 
ii Havre 
1000 
„ Rotterdam ... 
"299 
,, .Afrien 
"in 
501 
'400 
,, Mauritius ... 
::: 
2500 
,. India it Eastward .. 
'sue 
"' 9 
81774 
,, Australia .. 
::e .1 
40 
H America 
132018 
1 1046 
800 
nl.l Kxporm from Uct.l 
iscti to Jan. 10, lltf'j 
687111 
D« 1687 do 1WW 
!<-'>. I 
U 1888 rtu 1881 
seiM 
UU 1W6 do 1S8«| Jl.T.fl IW081&2 lO&tklJ 
7 MM) 
