Pithecolobium Saman.—

This South American tree is referred to page 18 below in what is said with respect to the Rain tree. According to Spruce, in its native country the pods are greedily eaten by deer and cattle. Mr. Jenman, the Superintendent of the Castleton Botanic Garden, Jamaica, has pointed out to the Colonial Office the remarkable merit of the tree for cultivation in hot tropical countries, as the foliage affords a very grateful shade, while the pods supply fodder of excellent quality. The following remarks are extracted from Mr. Jenman's report:—

"Pithecolobium Saman, popularly known in Jamaica as Guango, was originally introduced from the American mainland, but has now become thoroughly naturalised in all the dry regions, it is a lofty tree, in habit resembling the English oak. Trees are not uncommon seventy feet high, the spread of whose branches covers a diameter of one hundred and thirty feet. Owing to the folding of the leaves at night, the shade of the tree is said not to impede the deposit of dew beneath its branches. Grass grows freely even up to the trunk.

"The fruit is a bright dark-coloured pod when ripe, six to ten inches long, hardly one inch wide by a quarter of an inch thick, in substance consisting of a sugary amber-coloured pulp. The pods are borne in great profusion and hang prior to their maturity dangling in clusters from every branchlet. As they ripen they drop to the ground, and are picked up and eaten with much relish by all stock, even sheep and goats. Cattle may be seen lingering about the trees waiting for the passing breeze to shake the fruit down. Its excellent quality as a fodder is evident by its fattening effect. Stock having access to it improve markedly during the time it is in season.

"From the sugary nature of the fruit, it will keep a good while packed after maturity. It is therefore often gathered, packed in barrels, and kept for use till the dry early spring season has parched up grass and made herbage scarce. There is no doubt, I think, that it would make as good a preserved cattle-food mixed with other ingredients as the Carob (Ceratonia Siliqua), which is largely imported into England from the shores of the Mediterranean for this purpose. Pithecolobium Saman thrives best in dry hot plains having a rainfall of from thirty to sixty inches. Though of quick growth the wood is hard and very ornamental in the grain."

Seeds of this tree received from Jamaica were sent to the following places: Bombay, Brisbane, Calcutta, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Madras, Mauritius, Natal, Saharunpore, Travancore, and a further supply was distributed through the India Office.

It is of course premature to expect any immediate result from the experiment. I learn, however, that in August of last year the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras had a large number of fine young plants ready for distribution. About the same time Mr. Ford, in Hong Kong, had upwards of 1,000 good healthy plants." Mr. Duthie reported from Saharunpore in September:—"The Pithecolobium is doing most splendidly here; every seed is germinating, and the plant is looking healthy in every respect."

Dr. King reports from Calcutta:—"There are in the garden two sets of this tree, one consisting of five trees about 11 years old, and the other consisting of 84 trees, which were planted in an avenue four years ago. The tree is an extremely rapid grower, and seems perfectly at home in the climate and soil of Lower Bengal. page 19 The habit of growth and softness of the timber make the tree of little value as a building material, but it would probably answer well as a firewood tree, and as a shade tree I know nothing to equal it in Bengal .... The older trees have this year for the first time given seed; the pod is quite as sweet as that of the Carob, and is abundantly produced, and altogether I consider Pithecolobium Human a much more hopeful source of cattle-fodder than the Carob, while as a rapid grower it is unrivalled."