860 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [JuNi 1, 1901. 
THE FOOD WE EAT : APPLES. 
[to thb editob op the "spectator."! 
Sir, — Apropos of apples, there are two old English 
saws which confirm Mr. Radoliffe Cooke's praise of 
apples {Spactator, April 13!.h): — 
" An apple a day keeps the doctor away." 
" E it an apple going to bed. 
Yon will make your doctor beg his bread.' ' 
An experience of some length enables me to support 
all he says as to the benefit of eating raw apples 
the last thing at night. A Dr. Searles some years 
ago wrote to the Journal of Agriculture : — " The apple 
is such a common fruit that few are familiar with its 
remarkable efiicaeious properties. Everybody ought 
to know that the very best thing they can do is to 
eat apples just before retiring for the night The 
apple is an excellent brain food, because it has more 
phosphoric acid in easily digested shape than any 
other vegetable known. It excites the actiom of the 
liver, promotes sound and healthy sleep, and 
thoroughly disinfects the mouth. That is not all. 
The apple agglutinates the surplus acids of the stomach, 
helps the kidney secretions and is one of the 
best preventatives known of diseases of the throat. 
Everybody should be familiar with such knowledge. 
Next to the orange and lemon, it is the best anti- 
dote for the thirst and craving of the person addicted 
to alcohol or opium." — I am, sir, <fec., 
Colwich Vicarage, Staffs. Osmond Dobre«. 
^Spectator, April 20. 
♦- 
NOTES ON THE USE OF THE SEED 
OF THE BAMBOO fDENDRO- 
CALAMUS) AS FLOUR. 
By W. A. Wallingeb, Bo. F. S. 
It would not appear to be very generally known 
that the seed of the bamboo is not only fit for 
consumption by man, but that, in this corner of 
India, it is being collected and so consumed to 
an extent sufficient to ameliorate a very pro- 
nounced local scarcity. The Dictionary of Eco- 
nomic Products, Vol. I., contains interesting in- 
formation on the topic, and the fact that the seed 
is edible is also referred to in Agricultural 
Ledger, No. 17 of 1900. But tlie following remarks 
may, nevertheless, be of some general interest. The 
fact that there has been an unprecedented defici- 
ency in the rainfall over a tract of country, which 
is almost invariably well-favoured in this respect, 
leading in its turn to a sudden seeding of the 
bamboo, is significant and of interest ; but with 
this aspect of the question I am not at present 
concerned, except in so far as to incidentally 
draw attention to the old Brahmin saying : " When 
the bamboo produces sustenance we must look to 
Heaven for food." When the seed is ripe, a very 
slight shaking of the already dry stems is 
sufficient to induce it to fall plentifully. The 
ground is either cleared by firing, if the likeli- 
hood of being detected is slight ; or the seed is 
collected in cloths spread on the ground to receive 
it. A very considerable number of the minute 
pericarps that drop, however, contain no grain ; 
and I have noticed men and women removing 
these in the reserves by the well-known process of 
holding baskets over their heads and then pouring 
the grain slowly on to the ground and allowing 
the breeze to do the rest. Some bamboo clumps 
are abandoned altogether as affording insufliceut 
seed for the labour involved. 
Tiie collected seed on being brought home is 
pounded in order to remove the husks. The accoin- 
|)anying specimens may be of value for educational 
purposes at the Forest School. The original seed 
IS marked No. 1, No, 2 in fch« husk removed 
after beating ; and No. 3 the seed after this 
primary process. No. 3 is slightly damped 
and roughly ground, resulting in the sample 
No. 4 aii.l the bran No. 5. Finally the coarsely 
ground seed (So. 4) is re-ground and results in 
the cooking li^ur No. 6. 
Tlii.'< flour is either mixed with rice or " jowari," 
or eaten by itself, prepared into the ordinary 
flat cakes oi the country, termed " clia))atis "" 
It is said by the natives to be sufficiently nutri- 
tious ; and the mere fact that it is so largely 
collecteil shows it so to be. Neverthsless it 
would be of interest to ascertain what percentage 
of proteids the flour contains, and where it 
would stand in the scale as a nourishing form 
of diet. 
It has been found that two women can oolleet 
about 8 lb. of the seed in the day, which, after 
the removal of the husk and bran, is reduced to 
6 lb. This quantity will make 30 cakes 7" in 
diameter, or sufficient, it is said, to feed an able 
bodied man for six days. It is interesting to 
note tliat the flour is being bartered in local 
markets by the poor for " chillies " and other 
condiments ; but there is, so far, no recognized 
market rate. My horse, bullocks, goats and sheep 
refuse to touch the bran referred to, even when 
mixed with their ordinary grain. "The seed is 
eaten raw under protest but when cooked, is more 
appreciated.— Jndian Forester for May. 
THE ROSE GARDEN. 
ROSES IN CEYlON. 
AT AN ELEVATION OF 5,400 FEET ABOVE 
SEA LEVEL. 
Roses at a high elevation in Ceylon do very well 
indeed, with but a few exceptions, such as the 
Hybrid Perpetuals, Jennie Dickson, A K Williams, 
Reynolds Hole, and a few others. The Hybrid 
Perpetuals have to be allowed to grow very much 
as they like, that is to say, no pruning is neces- 
sary, only the removal of dead wood, and to let 
the plant grow on. The plants look straggly by 
this treatment, but it is the only way to ensure 
success. Plants that are cut down year after year 
do not flower properly, and only have a very short 
life. Among the best are Ulio, Eobert Duncan, 
Thomas Wood, Alfonse Suppert, Baron de 
Bonstettin, Beauty of Waltham, Boule de Neige, 
and Countess of Oxford. The Victor Verdier tribe 
all do splendidly and are always in flower. 
Heinrich Schultheis and its sports are excellent, 
and Hybrid Teas are without doubt the clas* 
above all for this country. As a rule they do 
better than the Hybrid Perpetuals or Teas, with a 
few notable exceptions, such as Maman Cochet 
both pink and white. There is no better Ros« 
grown than this ; it simply grows like a weed, 
and makes very large trees in a year or so from 
cuttings, and the blooms are enormous and ex- 
quisitely formed. To begin to enumerate the 
Hybrid Tea"! that do well would be to mention 
nearly all that can be found in a modern English 
catalogue. Captain Christy and its sports are in 
the first rank with the La France tribe, Augustine 
Guinoisseau and Duchess of Albany being the best 
of this family, Bessie Brown, Mrs. Grant Bald- 
win, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, Mme. Joseph 
Comber, Mrs Whitney, Souvenir du President 
Carnot, Shandon, &c,, are by far the best Hybrid 
Teas. 
Teas as a class do very well, in the first rank 
baing Maman Cochet, /nna OliTier, Niphttsi 
