November 2, 1891.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist. " 
371 
\ing niul plunking for building purpoBos, for tlio 
coiistriictiou of l)iiiiKiilows, cattle-shods, stores, 
&.C. Tho top brnnclies will como in linndy for 
firewood. Tlie more valuable kind-s may bo sold, 
as ill these days of forest conservancy, there is 
a great demand for timber of all kinds, particularly 
satiiiwood, hnlinililla,i'cc. Kvory estate, if o.stttblish- 
ed on the site of a forest or jungle, should he able 
to supply material for its own fencing, a.s such 
material is not only costly but very necessary, 
and it is imiiortant that the fencing should be 
kept in good order from planting-time till the trees 
are tall enough not to require it. 
As the tree.s will not come into bearing in 
from 7 to 10 years, advantage may be taken of 
the land to raise crops of Cassava and Indian 
Corn on it, the proceeds from which together 
with tho results of tho sale of gooil timber 
ought to recoup the jiroprietor for what ho 
has e.vpended on the purchase of the land. And 
here it may not be out of place to say some- 
thing of Cassava and Indian Corn n.s subsidiary 
crops in coconut cultivation. 
Indian Corn orCassava may be raised just after tho 
planting out of the coconuts,' or halt tho land maybe 
laid under Indian Corn, and halt under Cassava. 
These will do no harm to the young palms, 
but on the contrary help to shade them from 
the sun in tho earlier years of their growth: 
and ns the seeds or slips of tluae products 
will be naturally put down at the commencement 
of the rains, they will not inlereforo with the 
process of watering of the palms which at 
this time will not require watering. 
Indian Corn is put into small holes dibbled in 
the ground about ‘2 feet or less apart, 3 seo<ls 
being jmt into each hole in a triangular form. 
The seeil sprouts earlier ami more vigorously if 
soaked for 1:? or lo hours before planting. 
The seeds while waiting to be planted should 
be left on the cobs with their coverings on. 
Four or six of these cobs may be tied together 
by their coverings which are pulled over tho 
cobs, and perio<iically,if not continually, exposed to 
the inlluonce of smoko, which keeps them from 
being attacked by insects. Seeds treated in this 
manner may be kept for a year or even longer 
without injury by insects. 
Ca.ssava or JIanioc is planted from slips, 3 or 
•I inches in length, and placed in a slanting 
position, from 2 to 3 feet apart, in holes which 
are raindly made by a chop from a mamotie. 
Neither JIanioc nor Indian Corn require deep 
planting, and when the soil is not hard they are 
idanted by the hand by the villagers. Manioc 
cuttings are Icept for planting by tying about 50 
of them into a bundle, and then placing them in 
a hole ami watering for a few days, by which 
process they can be kept for a year or more 
if looked after. J\ith other supports Cassava 
can be made to grow as a fence both graceful 
and ornamental. 
Theenemiesof an Indian Corn-field areparrakeets 
which dock to it iii thoiusands when the cobs 
Is’gin to be formed, while villagers and coolies 
will also carry away as many cobs as their 
ingenuity can procure. These latter may also 
he put down us enemies of the Cassava plan- 
tation, while rats, porcupines and wild I'igs 
have to be guarded against by the erection 
of strong and well-made fences. 
When both Indian Corn and Cassava are fit 
for eating, the coolies or villagers working on tho 
estate will readily accept either, in lieu of all 
or part of their j>ay. lii tho Kastern I’rovince 
at least one need not be under any npj)reheusion 
as to the .sale of those crojis. People will come 
a long distance anti at great inconvenience to 
])urcbase the produce, and if tho rainy season 
has been n favourable one, a very fair income 
may be expected. 
lint there is a question, in this connection, 
which is often asked, viz., does not the culti- 
vation of Indian Corn and Cassava exhaust the 
soil? Very possibly so; but not to an appre- 
ciable extent. When these two subsidiary crops 
are raised on a new cleaning, the soil is generally 
abnormally rich virgin soil : and as coconut tree.s 
need to be manured at a later period, tho 
utilization and partial exhaustion of the land 
between the rows does not materially affect 
tho palms. 
I may hero mention that to a planter, cooked 
Indian Corn or meal, and young cobs, are an 
e.xcellent diet, while boiled manioc and milk, 
Cassava flour cakes, roasted manioc, and tapioca 
are by no means to be despised. 
B. Athkhton, 
('7'o 6e continued,) 
INDIGENOUS FOOD PRODUCTS; CULTIVATED 
AND WILD. 
It was pointed out in a review of a past number 
of this Jlagazine, that the series of notes that 
I have been contributing under the above heading 
included a number of i)lauta which might be 
erroneously stq)posed to produce food stuffs that 
ciudd be adopted as a regular diet among tho 
villagers. I should therefore mention that a great 
number of the plants which have been described, 
though not suitable to bo useil ns substitutes 
for regular food, are yet edible, and that my 
aim in these papers is to iloscrilx' .such plants 
as are found in a cultivateil .state or growing 
•wild, of which some part may be eaten. 
Sapotacece. 
53. Chry.wphyllum Ito-rburghii, G. Don. 
Sin. Lawulu. 
is a tree growing in tho warmer parts of 
the Island. It grows to tho height of from 
•‘30 to (50 feet, and is not very commonly mot 
with. It bears a round fruit tho size of an 
apple, with a green pericurj). Thp fleshy sub- 
stance found in the fruit has a sweet taste, but 
is full of a gummy lacteous juice. Tho 
seeds are small and flat wth a shining brownish 
testa. Tho fruit is eaten whenever obtainable, 
and is often brought to the markets for sale, 
where two to four of them are generally obtain- 
able for a cent. 
•54. Minwsnpg Etenyi. Sin. Jlunamal. 
This, too, like, the above, is a tree growing in the 
jungles, especially in tho warmer districts. The 
fruits arooval and small, about half an inch in length 
Though green in tho young stage they turn 
a brownish red. The mesocarp is pulpy ■when 
ripe, but contains a large percentage of caoutchouc* 
like jmce. It is also astringent to a great degree. 
