known by the brittleness of the shell. The shells broken away 
and the contents of the pod placed in layers in a cask and boiling 
syrup poured over them, when cool they cask is closed and ready 
for export. Sometimes layers of sugar are placed between the 
layers of fruit. East Indian tamarinds are often merely shelled and 
pressed together without sugar. 
Detarium senegalense. An African tree with an edible drupe 
and Castanospemum australe . The Australian Chestnut have both 
been in cultivation in Singapore for many years but have never 
fruited. 
Parkin speciosa, Hassk. “Petai ’’ is a very tall tree with feathery 
foliage and balls of yellowish flowers hanging bn long peduncles, 
succeeded by thin green pods. They are not lit for Europeans as 
they have a very unpleasant odor which they transfer to the eater, 
but they are in much demand by Malays who pay a cent or more 
for a pod, and cook and eat them with curry. 
The Jering fruit, Pithccolobium lob at am, is a very common tree, 
the seeds of which are boiled with wood ashes two or three times 
on successive days and eaten by Malays and are said to taste like 
chestnuts. They also have a nauseous odor which they transfer to 
the eater, and are also liable to produce various ailments. The 
tree is so common in and round villages and waste ground, that it 
is not worth planting even for Malays, but. the Petai is compara- 
tively scarce and as the Malays are prepared to give a good price 
for the crop, may be worth while planting, for sale or lease to them. 
Gayam. Inocarpus edulis , the Gtaheite Chestnut, is a small tree 
with large dark green shining leaves and yellow flowers. It pro- 
duces an oblong flattened pod, containing a large flattened seed, 
This when boiled, the pod being previously split, tastes like a chest- 
nut, and is quite worth eating. It is a native of Christmas Island 
and the Polynesian Islands. It grows well and fruits readily in 
Singapore. 
H. N. RIDLEY. 
