November i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
3^9 
PLANTAIN GROWTH AND PLANTAIN 
I'OOD IN AFRICA 
are noticed by a writfir of reminisoeaces in the 
Pioneer. Writing of Uganda, he states ; — It is a 
marvellous country in many respects, full of rivulets, 
banana groves, clustering hamlets and wild fig 
trees. Whether one approaches it by way of the 
Nile or from the East Coast route, it is like stepping 
into a now world to set foot in Uganda, so totally 
different is it to anything one has met with before. 
Perhaps the most striking feature to a new-comer 
is ihe immense number and size of the plantain 
trees, which grow in such profusion that ho may 
walk for miles with nothing but the shade of their 
broad leaves above his head, and nothing to be seen 
on either side but loog vistas of their stems. In 
one sense this luxuriant growth of plantains may be 
said to be the curse of the country, for since the 
Waganda find their food so easily (literally bending 
down for their acceptance), they never take the 
trouble to cultivate the soil or to sow cereals, but 
live in lazy idleness upon the provision so bounti- 
fully supplied by Nature. The plantain trees grow 
to a large size in that humid climate, compared 
to vjhich those met with in India seem a most 
degenerate species, the bunch of ripe fruit being as 
much as a strong man can lift. There were four 
or five distinct kinds : the ordinary eating banana ; 
a second kind with a very thick pink stem and long 
three cornered fruit called “ gonja,” which they 
always cooked in hot ashes, when it resembled a 
roasted apple in flavour ; a third species which 
bore very small fruit, in ta.ste not unlike jargonelle 
pears, from which the national drink mwengi was 
made , and another kind which is never allowed 
to ripen but invariably cooked in its green stage. 
This last was the “staff of life" to the Waganda, 
and as long experience had made them connoisseurs 
in the art of cooking it, it may prove interesting 
to describe the operation briefly. 
A bunch of fruit is selected whose colour is just 
commencing to change from green to a tinge of 
yellow, and the tree from which it hangs is cut 
down at the root. All the larger and more perfect 
leaves are then cut off and passed rapidly through 
the flame of some burning straw or other dry 
combustible, the centre rib of the leaf being first 
split up with a knife along its whole length 
to serve as string afterwards. The action of 
this flame renders the leaf soft and pliable 
without injuring its strength and a number of 
the plantains, carefully peeled and cleaned are 
then tied up in some of the best and most perfect 
leaves, the bundle being placed in a largo open- 
mouthed earthenware pot with several pieces of 
the thick leaf stalk underneath to prevent the 
bundle touching the bottom of the vessel. About 
a pint of water is then poured in and a quick tire 
started underneath, the bundle of plantains being 
carefully covered over with layer upon layer of the 
flexible leaves neatly folded up, which both prevent 
the escape of steam during the process of cooking 
and serve the purpose of a table-cloth afterwards. 
If they have meat it is wrapped up in a similar 
manner, groat care beiug taken that the leaf 
wrapper has no crack through which the gravy 
can escape, and deposited in the very centre of the 
plantain bundle : a rude and perfect imitation (or 
origiiral ?) of Captain Warren's cooking-pot. When 
the women judge that the steaming has continued 
for a sullioient length of time, the top layers of 
folded leaves are removed from the pot and 
spread out upon the rush floor : and a most 
aromatic appetising odour does that smoking 
table-cloth emit, as I can testify from experience. 
Then the great bundle of plantains is extracted 
17 
and kneaded by the women while still wrapped 
in leaves, until the mass is of the consistency of 
mashed potatoes, when the leaf coverings are untied 
and portions handed round to every guest. The 
smaller bundle of meat is placed in the centre of 
the cloth, and each one helps himself to gravy 
by pressing his thumb into a small ball of plantain 
mash so as to make a kind of cup, which he dips 
into the liquid. 
A more appetising way of cooking plantains could 
hardly have been devised, and it is small wonder 
that the Waganda thought no food could compare 
wi-.h it. In fact they openly asserted that the reason 
why white men visited their country was because no 
such trees grew in their own. To them the plantain 
tree means so much that they entertain an un- 
disguised pity for those whose lot is cast in a 
country where it does not flourish. It not only 
supplies them with their daily bread, but gives them 
ropes to fasten up their fences, napkins to wash 
and wipe their hands with, dried provisions to taka 
with them on their journeys, and a delicious bever- 
age to drink which is fully equal to cider. The only 
purpose for which they grow cereals is to start 
fermentation in this mwengi or country beer, 
and when the ambassadors were returning from 
Khartoum they were constantly longing for plantain 
food, although liberally supplied with wheat, rice, 
meat and vegetables. Of the merit or demerits of 
this natural food supply it is difficult to judge. It 
evidently suited the Waganda, for they were 
physically well formed and surprisingly intelligent ; 
but we noticed that they required to eat an enormous 
quantity of the food to extract the due amount of 
nourishment, aud one result of this was that most 
of the children (between the ages of four and twelve) 
were more or less pearshaped about the abdomen. 
It is very doubtful whether Europeans could subsist 
for any length of time on such a diet, as the 
power of assimilating it could probably only bo 
acquired when young : but it only needs the 
demand for cereals to bo created for the supply to 
be forthcoming, as the soil is rich enough for 
anything. 
THE NORTH BORNEO REARl^ FISHERIES. 
Several letters having been received lately at Sinda- 
kan on the subject of Pearl Fishing on the Borneo 
coast, the Govoriimeut have forwarded to the JPeat 
Australian a copy of a letter sent to Messrs. Erick- 
son and Wood, in June, 1883. Information was asked 
for on their behalf by Capt. Gray, of the “ Australiad.” 
The following are the chief p.arts of the letter, and 
the Government offers to give any farther information 
desired, adding, however, that a permit would not be 
allowed to interfere with a bank known to and worked 
by natives. 
Pbakl Shells. — Mother-o’-pearl are found around 
the coast and island of North Berneo, particularly in 
the Sulu Seas, where they are fished for by natives in 
the most primitive way. The shells form one of the 
most important exports in the Sulu Islands. From 
time to time pearl banks have been found round Ba- 
larabangan, Bangney and Malliwalle, and round the 
I.slands of Cuiibabang Paya and Omadal on the East 
coast, all included in the territory called British North 
Borneo, but as yet nothing has been done to discover 
or develop them, the attention of tho Government 
having been given to opening up tho oountry. Tho 
natives of the coast, however, are begiuning to give 
more attention to pearl-.shell fishing, aud within tho 
past two years pearl-shells hove been exported from 
D-arvel Bay. A bank i.s also known to exist in Maruda 
Bay. The reason why pearl-fishing iu North Borneo 
has not received more attention, is on account of tho 
reports about pirates ; up to within a few years ago tho 
coast was infested with them. Tho Bat iuiiiis, Illarains, 
and Bajows were at one time very successful iu keep- 
