which the fruit is valued for medicinal properties, is also cultivated.
Of vegetables and miscellaneous products may be specified chillies, onions, capsicum, mustard, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), yams (Dioscorea), brinjals (Solatium Melongena), tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins.
Poppies grow luxuriantly in the Shan States and Kachin Hills, where opium is consumed apparently without ill-effects. The cultivation of the poppy in the Kachin Hills has recently been declared illegal.
Department of Agriculture. The interests of agriculture are committed to the charge of a special Department under a Director and controlled by the Development Commissioner. Among the aims of the Department are, the amelioration of agricultural conditions, the encouragement of experiments with new products, the introduction of modern scientific implements, the improvement of indigenous staples. The Department is about to be strengthened and reorganized. When thoroughly equipped, it will include 17 Imperial, 19 Provincial, and 188 subordinate officers. In a country where the bulk of the population depends for subsistence on fields, gardens, and orchards, the scope for the energies of the Department is unlimited.
