442 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1881. 
we may have it in season all the year round. The seed 
should be sown in pans or boxes filled with a very rich 
soil ; after being well watered the seed should be scat- 
tered thickly over its surface. It must be covered with 
a pane of glass till the seed germinates. If kept in a 
shady position it will grow quickly and be ready for use 
in from ten to twelve days from the time of sowing. 
Cultivated in this way it is much more delicate in fla- 
vour than that grown in the open ground. 
American Ceess (Barbarea prcecox). 
This is easily grown hi any damp, shady situation in 
a good sandy soil, sown at the same time as the ordin- 
ary cress. In flavour it somewhat resembles the water 
cress, but is decidedly inferior to it, so that when con- 
veniences exist for growing the latter, this may cert- 
ainly be dispensed with in a garden. 
Wateb Cress (Nasturtium officinale). 
This, although naturally a perennial, can only be suc- 
cessfully cultivated as an annual in this country. The 
situation best adapted to it is a water-course or drain 
where there is a regular stream of clear running water. 
This is, however, next to impossible to obtain here 
during the cold season. The method therefore gener- 
ally adopted is to sow the seed in gumlahs, the soil 
in which must be kept constantly moist. As soon as 
the plants are two inches high, they should be trans- 
planted closely into other pans three-fourths filled with 
a compost made of equal parts of sand, coarsely broken 
brick and leaf mould. These should be placed at the 
edge of a tank, the top of the pans being kept on a 
level with the surface of the water. Of course as the 
water sinks in the tank it will be necessary to have 
the pans occasionally lowered. Another plan which I 
have seen successfully tried on several occasions, and 
which possesses many advantages in its favour, is to con- 
struct a small raft or frame of any common jungle 
wood. On this securely fasten a tray or box, about 
six inches in depth, of any size that may be required. 
This should be filled to within two inches of the top 
with the same compost as recommended for culture in 
pans, and the plants transplanted into it in the same 
way. The only precaution necessary is to see when the 
apparatus is complete, that is so balanced as to keep 
the surface of the soil slightly below the water level. 
It may then be moored at the side of the tank or 
allowed to float about, when, if properly made, forms 
a pretty ornament. The great advantage of this is that 
after the plants are once established, they require no 
further attention. Where a tank is not available, they 
may also be grown in pans sunk in the open ground. 
Great care must, however, be taken to keep the soil 
in them constantly covered with water, and which, to 
produce a good crop, must be changed daily. 
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). 
All attempts to cultivate the many splendid . English 
frame varieties of this delicious vegetable in this country 
have, I believe, invariably proved fruitless. Whether it 
is owing to any peculiarity of the soil or atmosphere 
remains to be proved. Firnhnger seems of opinion that 
it is principally owing to the ravages of a kind of 
beetle with which they frequently become infested, but 
this certainly is not the only cause, for even if plants 
are grown under glass, and carefully protected from 
every insect, the result is the same. The seeds germ- 
inate freely enough, and the plants grow vigorously 
till they have formed five or six leaves ; they then, 
from some unaccountable cause, obstinately refuse to 
proceed further, and gradually dwindle away. Strange 
to say all the varieties of English melons, vegetable 
marrows, and in fact nearly all the members of the 
Cucwn/is or Cueurbita family, when grown from imported 
seed fail in the same way. 
There are, however, two varieties of cucumber indi- 
genous to this country. These, although considerably 
inferior in quality to the English varieties mentioned 
above, are still, when well grown, quite equal to those 
grown in the open air at home. They may be grown 
at almost all seasons of the year, and require but 
little attention, provided they are planted hi good rich 
soil, and have a trellis or tree on which to climb fully 
exposed to the sun. They should be cut for use when 
very young, as, if allowed to reach their full size, they 
generally become tough and tasteless. 
Endive (Cichorium endivia). 
This is not a very popular vegetable, although it is 
certainly deserving of more attention than has been 
bestowed on it in this country. The curled varieties 
especially are particularly useful, being greatly appreci- 
ated by many when cooked in the same way as other 
green crops, or when well blanched, it makes a salad 
almost equal to the best lettuce. The seed may be 
sown from August to December. For an early supply 
the first sowing should be made in pans, and as soon 
as the plants are two inches high, they must then be 
transplanted into beds of rich soil, to which a liberal 
dressing of very old manure has been added. They 
should be placed at a distance of twelve inches apart 
in the rows. As soon as they have made their full 
growth, they should be closely tied up to blanch in the 
same manner as lettuces. Some recommend that the 
plants after being tied up should be covered with a 
flower pot to induce them to blanch quickly, provided 
they are properly looked after. Undoubtedly this is the 
quickest and most certain method of blanching, but if 
they are at all neglected, and the pots not removed 
daily and carefully tried, the consequence is that the 
plants invariably decay. 
Indian Corn (Zea mays). 
This plant is so well known to every native gardener 
that it is hardly necessary to mention anything regard- 
ing its cultivation here. The sorts generally found in 
our gardens are the small seeded varieties so extensively 
grown as a field crop in almost every part of India. 
These are, however, very inferior both in point of size 
and quality to the many splendid varieties imported 
from America ; these, whenever proem-able, should be 
grown in preference to any other. 
The best time for sowing is at the commencement 
of June, before the rains set in, but successional sow- 
ings may be made till September, although the produce 
will be inferior to that of the first sowing. Fh-minger 
recommends that the seed should be sown in rows twelve 
inches apart, and the grains eight inches in the rows. 
From my own experience I should say the crop would 
thereby be considerably too crowded; even a distance 
of eighteen inches each way will not be found too 
much. An American writer thus describes their method 
of cultivation: "Plant in hills about three feet apart; 
place a shovelful of manure or a handful of poudrette 
in each — five or six grains to a hill is sufficient.' When 
up thin them out, allowing tluee of the strongest plants 
to remain. Thorough cultivation is necessary to secure 
a good crop." 
Jerusalem Artichoke (Ilcliauthus tuberosus). 
This is a very useful vegetable, and is much culti- 
vated in some parts of India where potatoes are not 
procurable at the time it is hi season. The tubers 
should be planted in April or May in the open ground, 
in rows two feet apart and eighteen inches between the 
tubers, and about four inches deep. If grown in a good 
rich soil no manure should be given them, as it often 
has the effect of causing them to form too much stem, 
instead of producing good tubers. They will be ready 
to take up by the end of October, and as soon as they 
are dry, should be carefully stored in sand or earth, 
as, if exposed long to the ah, they invariably shrivel 
up and become useless. 
