872 
iiUpplment to the "Tropical Agriculturist" 
[May I, 1892. 
officers should be regularly visited by an Inspector 
qualifled to b« conferred vith our agricultural 
matters, involving points relative to soil, climate, 
elevation, rainfall, aspect and crops, and the 
hundred and one minutim embraced in the ap- 
parently simple process — the cultivation of the 
land. 
« 
THli CULTIVATION OF THE COCONUT I’ALM. 
It may now be supposed that the imaginary 
estate of 100 acres having been planted, and 
protected, as far as possible, from enemies, luts 
begun to yield crops — having some 9,000 good 
specimens of the palm originally planted 28 
or 24 feet apart. The Indian corn and manioc 
which was raised during the early stage.s will 
have been sold off the laiul and yielded a fair 
return. The fences will have now past the stage 
when they require earnest attention and may 
be stacked away in some convenient place to 
be utilized as firewood. It will now be neces- 
sary to build a store for the nuts, and select 
a fine high site, fully exposed to thd sun, for 
B copra ground. 
It is usual to pick once in three months or 
four times a year, the nuts which keep fulling 
during the intervals being of course collecte(l 
Where trees are young and small in stature the 
nuts are easily picked with a very short pole, 
but when the trees are tall, a long polo with a 
•cythe-shaped cutting implement bound to the 
end of it is u.sed. Unmboo poles are generally 
u.sed when procurable. In the case of an old 
estate, where the trees are so tall as to make 
picking difficult, the nuts are simply allowed to 
fall in the course of nature. Nuts to be made 
into copra are cut into tw'O with an a.xe (4 men 
will cut from 10 to Hi thousand in a day) and 
thrown into position by small boys trained to 
the work, that is to any, the two halves are placed 
kernul upwards on clean white sand and exposed 
on the barbacue to the burning rays of the sun ; 
on the approach of ruin all the available lads 
are called in, and the ])osition of the nuts reversed', 
that is, the husks upwards and the kernel down- 
wards. When the sun comes out again the 
original position is reverted to, but at night the 
kernels are turned downwards again. 
In very hot weather copra dries sufficiently in 
throe or four days, some kernels fulliug out of 
their shells of thfeir own accord. The bulk of 
the kernels are however scooped out of the shells 
by women and children, and the coi)ra now 
separated from the shell is spread out for a final 
drying, and afterwards put into bags or stored 
away for some period before doing so. 
Well-made copra should be perfectly white, and 
should crackle when crushed in the hand. When 
injured by[rniii ordamj) it gets brown, mouldy and 
discoloured, but will sell for not very much loss 
than the good stuff, to owners of oil mills. 1 n 
fafct'it is said that this latter descrijition of 
copra ' yields oil more easily. 
The drying of copra on hot sand is the most 
inexpensive process, and if sufficient care be 
exercised there need bo no damage. I know 
of one instance where drying trays fixed to 
trollies are used, but this apparatus is too expen- 
sive to become popular. 
From about the middle of November to the 
close of the rainy season, no copra can be made, 
ns the rain will interfere with the proce.ss. All 
nuts should therefore be stored till the good 
weather comes round again. It is u good jjlan 
not to sell nuts unless a large number is demanded 
for export. t)ne of the evil consequences of 
selling nuts in small rpinntities in the neighbour- 
hood is, that there is no chance of identifying 
stolen nuts. 
A coconut estate is a great blessing to the 
people in the neighbourhood, who in addition to 
the small earnings resulting from fishing or 
raising vegetables, have the ojiportunity of adding 
to their income hj' giving l^d. worth of work on 
a coconut estate. 
1?. Athbkton. 
INUKIENOUS FOOD PKOHUCTS; 
CULTIVATED AND WILD. 
Chmapodiaceae. 
70. lla»ella Alha, L. Sin. Niviti. 
This is a plant with a twining stem. It is 
generally cultivated in the vicinity of houses 
and in vegetable garden.s. The leaves are dark 
green and fleshy and of an ovate shape with 
entire margins. The llowers which spring from 
the axils of the leaves produc<f a large number 
of seeds in long clusters. These are at first of 
a green colour with a pinkish mark on the top, 
hut when ripe they are j'et black and soft, yield- 
ing a red-colouring matter in abundance when 
bruised. 
The leaves and the stems which are all succulent 
are used as food made into curries. The clus- 
ters of young fruits are also m\ich reli.shod when 
fried in oil. The plant jio.ssesses very cooling 
properties, but native mci'ical practitioners be- 
lieve that it causes windy complaints. It is, 
however, one of the commonest vegetables and 
is consumed largidy. There are two other varie- 
ties of Basella common here, — One is the S. 
Ratniviti, var. Rubra. This too is a perennial 
twining plant with succulent leaves and stems, 
but the stems ami the harder tissues of the 
leaves are all of a red colour. It is not so 
common as the first noted variety, hut it is u.sed 
as a food whenever cultivated. 
The third variety is only a modification of 
the first-mentioned two brought about by cul- 
tivation. The plant resembles one or other of 
the former, but does not grow to a large size. 
Rlmnynacmr. 
81. Elccaynus iMtifolm, L. Sin. Katuorabilla. 
This is a wild plant growing in the jungles, 
of t he warmer regions of the i.sland. It has strong 
creeping stems with many branches having a 
largo number of sharp spine.s. A characteristic 
of this ])lnnt is the ashy grey colour of the back 
of the leaves, and the surface of the stem.s. 
The fruits are oval and are small in size. 
When young they are of a green colour, aud whon 
ripe attain to a piuki,sh white appearance, the 
fruit being succulent at this stage. The berries 
of the E. latifolia have a very pleasant acid 
taste, and are eagerly sought for by tho.se who 
frequent the jungles. 
