Nov. 2, 1903.] I§upptenunt it the « Tropical AgmuUuM' 
368 
to wiad and the otber uot ; or iuduod it one 
receives aay tretttmeut whatsoever which the otlier 
does uot." 
These directions clearly iudicate the scope aud 
utility of box aad pot cultivatioa, and what uesf ul 
practical lessons could be brought out by their 
adoption lu our schools. We would like to sse a 
competition in tiiis method of school garden tor 
special prizes that the department may see lit to 
olfer — praticularly in the case of schools which 
have little opportuaitiy for bed-cultivatiou. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
The varieties of Queensland plantains that 
have so for fruited are " Cavendish," "Borrego," 
" Ladies' Fingers " and " Sugar." Presuming tliat 
there has been no confusion in the names, the 
laat-meutioned is the only one that can lay claim to 
be a really desirable addition to the local varieties 
of table plantains. The fruits are much larger 
than our average eating kinds, and their consis- 
tency and flavour are excellent. 
The " four- winged bean" is a vegetable that 
used to be a great favourite with our ancestors, 
but has, for some unknown reason, rather 
dropped out of favour. Anyhow, the bean is 
seldom found among market vegetables. Its 
other names are the "Princess Bean" and the 
"Asparagus Pea." When boiled in the tender 
stage, there is little difference between this and 
the i'rench bean. The botanical name o£ the 
four-winged bean is Psopkocarpui tetrugonolobus. 
The Australasian, referring to the Asparagus 
Fea, saya : — A new vegetable, and one that 
promises to be a great acquisition, is the Aspara- 
gus Pea, introduced into Victoria by Lord 
Hopetouu. It is extremely prolilic, and most 
people would pronounce it a delicious vegetable 
when properly prepared, combining as it does the 
pronounced flavour of asparagus with the delicate 
uuggestioa of the table Pea. The method of 
culture is that of the ordinary Pea, aud the 
particulars as to price of seed, &c., can be 
obtained from P. Hamilton Biunning ("Adam- 
sou's"). Amongst otiier places where it can 
be seen in full profusion is the Leougatha Labour 
Colony, and the head gardener there states that 
it is suited to all classes of climate, thriving 
almost equally well with or without watering. 
The plant is of a prostrate nature, branching 
much like a rock melon, and spreading nearly 
two feet, Stem prostrate, leaves trifoliates, 
leaflets spatulate ovate, an inch in length, two 
stipules ovate, flower axillary, and of a scarlet 
reU and purple, giving the appearance of a lield 
of red clover. Pod square, with fringe on each 
side, two to four inches long, containing six to 
ten small peas. The pod is cooked and eaten 
with the fingers after the manner of asparagus, 
Eegarding the above we should mention that 
while we have the white and heliotrope flowered 
.rarieties, wa have uot seen the "scarlet and 
purple." With us the plant is allowed to run on 
trellises. As a prolific bean theie is nothing to 
beat it. We reproduce the following recipds 
for cooking, given in Hamilton Bruuuing's cata- 
logue : — 
1. Tie the pods in bundles, put them into 
well-salted boiling water, and cook until they are 
tender (this will require about fifteen minutes). 
While boiling, prepare some slices of toast ; 
arrange the Asparagus Peas, when well drained 
nearly upon it, and then pour the sauce over 
them. 
To make the sauce : — Put butter the size of an 
egg into a saucepan, and when it bubbles stir in 
a scant half-teaspoonf ul of flour, stir well with 
an egg whisk until cooked ; then add two teacup- 
fuls of thin cream, some pepper aud salt; stir 
over the fire until perfectly smooth, and then 
pour sauce over the Asparagus Peas. 
'2. Boil the pods in a little water until tender ; 
add a little butter, cream, salt and pepper. 
3. Cut each pod crossways into two; put them 
into boiling water, and let them cook until 
tender ; drain them, and add butter the size of 
a walnut ; put into stewpan with a cupful of 
cream with a little flour, pepper, and salt, and lat 
this simmer a few moments. 
A good deal has lately been written about the 
Talue of Ocinum virile and other species of the 
same genus. We have not seen, except in an 
Australian contemporary, any reference to 
Citronella grass {Andropogm nardtis) as a means — 
aud a very effective means — of driving away the 
"musical nocturnal tormenter" as somebody 
dubbed the wily mosquito. 
Our neighbours over the straits called Palk are 
evidently envying our good fortune in possessing 
a scientific staff of experts. They want a similar 
staff, and they want our resourceful Director of 
Botanic Gardens to assist them with his advice 
in formulating a scientific scheme for the 
Bombay Presidency. It is gratifying to be some- 
times reminded that ws are not so behind the 
age after all. 
The cultivation of ginger (Zingiber officinale) 
is little carried on in the Island, and it is a 
matter of surprise that this is so, seeing that the 
tubers realise such good prices in the market. 
One is struck with the immense trade in this 
product in the West Indies and in Cochin China, 
and is inclined to attribute the fact to tha 
superiority of the article as placed on the market. 
A knowledge of the proper preparation of ginger 
would, therefore, be desirable, and we are 
indebted for the following hints on the best 
method of curing to the Journal of the Jamaica 
Agricultural Society, 
After the tubers have been dug out and freed 
from roots and dirt, the skin is carefully and 
thoroughly taken off with a knife made for the 
purpofe. The points and toes must be carefully 
rounded, the smaller toes cut off in euch a 
way as to disguise the mark, thus giving the 
pieces a graceful rounded appearance. These 
must be washed very clean, aud laid regularly 
