196 
boiled or put in soups like carrots. The plant is a native of Java, 
and, as a vegetable, very popular with the Javanese, but less 
known to Europeans. It is easily grown, and would be esteem- 
ed by Europeans if they were acquainted with it. 
Yam-beasts. 
( Pachyrrhizus tuberosus) ‘ ‘Sengkuang’* or Bengkuang. — A 
climbing bean with a tuberous root like a turnip, grown readily 
from seed. I he root, which is said in some countries to attain a 
very large size is in the part eaten. It is very good raw, eaten as 
a radish and perhaps better cooked, as a turnip. 
The beans are seldom eaten and only when quite young, as 
when ripe they contain a poisonous principle known as 
pachyrrhizin. 
The plant is not very commonly cultivated. 
Colocasia antiquorum , Schott, KeladL — Is extensively cul- 
vated by the Chinese in ditches; but though the shoots are often 
eaten by them the plant is chiefly grown to feed pigs, the leaves 
being given to them. Other plants cultivated for pig food in the 
same way are the Water Lettuce “Kiamban , 5 ’ Pistia Stratiotes, 
L., and, occasionally, Sagittaria sagittifolia , L. 
Alocasia macrorrhiza, Schott. — Is a much larger plant, often 
cultivated for ornament on account of its large leaves. It has a 
stout cylindrical stem which is eaten sliced and boiled. It is 
rather glutinous, but forms a substitute for potatoes when no- 
thing better can be had. f , 
\ ams, Ubi.— Several kinds of yam are cultivated by the 
natives here, but they do not enter as much into the native food 
supply as the}? do in many other parts of the tropical world. 
The method of growing them is as follows: — The upper part of 
the tuber is cut off and divided so that each portion has one or 
more buds on it. Then a trench is dug about eight inches or a 
foot deep, in which is strewed some burnt earth and a little ma- 
nure, then a layer of dead leaves is laid on this, and the portions 
of yams placed about a foot apart, the buds uppermost, and the 
earth is then thrown in and the trench filled. In a few weeks 
the climbing stems of the yams appear, and require a trellis or 
some branched sticks to climb on. The tubers can be dug in 
about six months. 
\ ams can be eaten boiled or baked like potatoes. They are 
apt to be rather woody if too old, but good kinds when young are 
an excellent vegetable. 
The cultivated yams here appear to be forms of Dioscorea 
alata, L. Ubi Teropong” is a variety with hastate acuminate 
leaves and long white tubers. ‘ ‘Ubi Java ’ 5 has cordate acuminate 
leaves and shorter and rounder white tubers. In “Ubi Kendu- 
duk the leaves are deeply cordate ovate and the tubers 
small, long and red. “Ubi Nasi” has very similar leaves, but 
the yam is purple, large and round and is probably D. atropur- 
purea, Roxb. In all these the stems are edged with four curled 
