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All the last four, the artichoke, the salad onion, the carrot and 
the beet, might be produced commercially on hills that are near to 
some of the larger markets. The true spinach and that excellent 
little cucurbit the cho-cho, might also be produced payingly in the 
same places. Endive could be grown too. 
In the genus Brassica, the Chinese cabbage is the only one 
really suited to the plains : but it is inferior to the European 
members, of which the cabbage, the brussels sprout, the knol-kohl, 
the turnip and the kohl-rabi appear likely plants for the hills only. 
But mustard and cress might be grown anywhere if the hills could 
produce the needed seed. 
There is no difficulty in raising lettuce, and watercress. 
Tropical spin aches are easily found : and one, Basella alba, 
might very well be common in estate gardens. Amaranls can also be 
raised easily for spinach, and are better than the kangkong 
(Ipomoea aquatica ) which the Chinese cooks serve up. Beet leaves 
can also be used for spinach ; and there is a Javanese spinach, 
Talinum verticillatum , which is not used in the Malay Peninsula. 
I pass to those vegetables, which are at the same time fruits. 
Peas cannot be expected to succeed on t^e plains, but do well in 
the hills. There, and in the plains as well, French beans can be 
raised. But better for the climate of the plains are Dolichos lablab, 
Vigna catiang, Cajanus indicus , and Psophocarpus tetragonolobus. The 
last named, I consider, at its right age, a most excellent vegetable. 
The first named, in one of its best races, is a table vegetable 
in France : b'ut its worst races are, about maturity, dangerous. 
Of Cucurbits, 1 believe that all the following can be grown 
if means be devised to protect the fruit from the little fruit fiies, 
Benincasa cerifera, the wax gourd ; Oucumis sativus, the cucumber, 
Cucurbita melo , the melon ; Cucurbita pepo, the pumpkin ; Cucurbita 
maxima, the gourd ; Cucurbita moschata, the musk melon ; Citrullus 
vulgaris , the water melon ; Luff a acutangula, the loufah ; Momor- 
dica charantia ; Lagenaria vulgaris , the calabash ; and Trichosanthes 
anguina , the snake-gourd. The Chinese raise some in paper bags 
and those generally of inferior races with firm skins. Just as the 
papaya protects its fruits by a milky juice, so may it be possible to 
prevent the attacks of the fruit fly by chemical means. 
The tomato and the brinjal can be so readily grown that no 
more need be said of them. 
Vegetables repay rich soil so well that the chief problem in 
regard to them is manure. Near our larger towns every hollow of 
good earth is likely to be given over to them, and a better use there 
could not be. Pig fattening brings a certain supply of manure to 
the market gardeners who till them : but manures generally ai’e 
here costly ; so that a limit is put to our supplies by reason of the 
difficulty of getting, and maintaining when got, the fertile soil 
