TARWADA. — A fish about three feet long, with a black smooth skin, white belly, large flat head and long feelers. It has always a muddy taste and should only be used, strongly seasoned, in curry or fish cakes, when no other can be obtained. 27 FOWLS (kaza, p1. kaji).— The perilous youth of an African fowl leaves upon it an indelible impression. In an endless effort to escape, its body becomes all out-stretched neck and flying legs, petrified into an attitude of fear. Wild-eyed, shrill-voiced, neither oomfort nor security can change its haggard look, but regular feeding and restrained activity may perhaps do a little towards improving the for- lornness of its aspect. Buy the largest fowls you can find, feed them on mixed millet and maize and as much “ doussa as possible, give them plenty of clean water and shut them in every night out of reach of bush cats. Except in some favoured localities, only the bravest will attempt to rear chickens, for what between cats, rats, hawks, sundry horrible diseases and the incredible stupidity of the African hen, it is a most melancholy task. The only chance of success lies in keeping them shut up in an enclosure of wire netting (which must be brought out from England), or of roughly woven native mats, till they have attained the age of reason. If you rear ducklings do not forget to give them a large native pot sunk in the ground of their enclosure and regularly filled with water. TURKEYS (talatalo).— Quite good turkeys are fairly numerous in the north, and Loko on the Benue sells a great number of them. GUINEA FOWLS (zabuwa, pl. zabx), and BUSH FOWLS (fakara), are generally plentiful. PIGEONS (tantabara). — These are really only good when quite young and are best cooked in a pie. The “ green pigeons ” are delicious and are best roasted. FRUIT. — We do not give the names of any of the wild fruits found in the bush as they vary in each locality. 28 THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. In Nigeria, a small vegetable garden is not only a distrac- tion but almost an absolute necessity, and with a little trouble you can make sure of a varied supply of vegetables from May to the end of November. Under certain con- ditions, proximity to a stream or well, it is even possible to have tomatoes, lettuces and beans all the year round, grown on a small space of irrigated ground. European vegetables, combined with the resources of the country, will provide the white man who has some little experience, with the fresh and varied food so necessary to health. Towards the end of March is the best time to begin sowing. This should be done in boxes raised on stones a few inches from the ground, in good light soil, enriched, if the ordinary soil is poor, with a little black soil, but it must on no account be heavy. A little gravel at the bottom will facilitate drainage. These boxes can easily be kept moist and the seedlings will still be under shelter when the first violent tornadoes break. The beds for their reception can be prepared at any time towards the end of ihe dry season. The chief cause of failure in Nigerian gardens is that not sufficient attention is given to the soil of these beds which must generally be enriched unless the garden happens to be on the site of an old village. Horse or sheep manure, never cow, and leaf mould found under old trees or along a river bank where maize has been grown, can be used.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

TARWADA. — A fish about three feet long, with a black smooth skin, white belly, large flat head and long feelers. It has always a muddy taste and should only be used, strongly seasoned, in curry or fish cakes, when no other can be obtained. FOWLS (kaza, p1. kaji).— The perilous youth of an African fowl leaves upon it an indelible impression. In an endless effort to escape, its body becomes all out-stretched neck and flying legs, petrified into an attitude of fear. Wild-eyed, shrill-voiced, neither comfort nor security can change its haggard look, but regular feeding and restrained activity may perhaps do a little towards improving the forlornness of its aspect. Buy the largest fowls you can find, feed them on mixed millet and maize and as much “ doussa as possible, give them plenty of clean water and shut them in every night out of reach of bush cats. Except in some favoured localities, only the bravest will attempt to rear chickens, for what between cats, rats, hawks, sundry horrible diseases and the incredible stupidity of the African hen, it is a most melancholy task. The only chance of success lies in keeping them shut up in an enclosure of wire netting (which must be brought out from England), or of roughly woven native mats, till they have attained the age of reason. If you rear ducklings do not forget to give them a large native pot sunk in the ground of their enclosure and regularly filled with water. TURKEYS (talatalo).— Quite good turkeys are fairly numerous in the north, and Loko on the Benue sells a great number of them. GUINEA FOWLS (zabuwa, pl. zabuji), and BUSH FOWLS (fakara), are generally plentiful. PIGEONS (tantabara). — These are really only good when quite young and are best cooked in a pie. The “ green pigeons ” are delicious and are best roasted. FRUIT. — We do not give the names of any of the wild fruits found in the bush as they vary in each locality. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. In Nigeria, a small vegetable garden is not only a distraction but almost an absolute necessity, and with a little trouble you can make sure of a varied supply of vegetables from May to the end of November. Under certain conditions, proximity to a stream or well, it is even possible to have tomatoes, lettuces and beans all the year round, grown on a small space of irrigated ground. European vegetables, combined with the resources of the country, will provide the white man who has some little experience, with the fresh and varied food so necessary to health. Towards the end of March is the best time to begin sowing. This should be done in boxes raised on stones a few inches from the ground, in good light soil, enriched, if the ordinary soil is poor, with a little black soil, but it must on no account be heavy. A little gravel at the bottom will facilitate drainage. These boxes can easily be kept moist and the seedlings will still be under shelter when the first violent tornadoes break. The beds for their reception can be prepared at any time towards the end of the dry season. The chief cause of failure in Nigerian gardens is that not sufficient attention is given to the soil of these beds which must generally be enriched unless the garden happens to be on the site of an old village. Horse or sheep manure, never cow, and leaf mould found under old trees or along a river bank where maize has been grown, can be used.

Practical West African cookery