Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1807-05-22
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From the Americaz Daily Advertiser.

The merchants whotrade to Caracas
and other parts OF tbs Spanish Main, are
requestrdt to endsavor to introduce into
this country. a very valu able South A.
merican plant; an account of which, was
given by Mr.. Vargas, in London, and
published in the Annals Of BOTANY, No.
;, P. 400. The popular name in South
America is Arraeacha. and it is one. Of
he most useful plants. in that couutry:.
Order Umbeiliferos in its habits it re-
.embles an APium, and therefore, sor1e-
I,imes called Apio. Its stalk generally
divide. from the upper part of the root
into several stems, thickly be,et with
large orbienlar leaves gashed into several
sinus's and supported by large tubular
petioles. exeeedinga goose quill 10 thick
ness The roots Immediately divide u
to 4 or brances and each of these, IF
the s6il be light and the weather fasota-
bic, will grow tothe size, aud have near
~ the shape Of large cows horn. This
root yields food which is prepared in
The kischeus in the same rnanuer As pota-
toes. It is extremely grateful TO die
palate, more close than rnealy 5; it Is 20
tender that it requires little cooking, and
so easy Of digestion, that it is the CON.
mon practice ofthe country to give it TO
couvalescents and persons with weak
stomachs, being thought much less Aata.
lent than POTATOES. Gifts fecula is made
starch, and a variety ofpastry work re-
duced to pulp this root also enters i4to
the corpositionof certain ferniented IL
quors, supposed to be very proper to res
tore the lost tone of the stomach. In
the city Of Santa Fe, and indeed, in all
places Of this kingdom, where they can
obtain the Arracacha, they are Of full as
universal use as the potatoes are in Eng
land: Its cultivation requires deep
black mould, that will easily yield to the
descent ofthe large verticalroots. tits
prcfagated by cutting the ROOT in pieces,
| each having an eye or shoot, and plant
ing these in separate holes. After or
4 manths, the roots are Of sufficient size
and quantity toibe used for Cs,tluzry pur-
poses; but If suffered to remain 6 months
| in the ground, they will often acquire an
immense size, without any dettipent to
their taste. The color of the root is Ell
.ther white, yellow or purple; but al are
of the same qualitv.- The most esteem
ed are those OF Liparon, (S'Fe.) Like
the ootatoe, it does not thrive in the hot
ter regions of the kingdom, for there the
roots do not acquire any size, but throw
up greater number Of ste ms, or at Best
they viii be but small and of. Indifferent
favor. 1t thrires best in the elevated
regions Of the mountains, where the
medium heat is between SO and 90 de-
grees OF Fahrrnheit's scale here il 10
that these roots grow most luxuriantly,
and acquire the most delicious taste. Mr..
Vargas believesit peculiar to the province
Of Caracas and kingdom Of Santa Fe,
as he has met with II 10 no other part Of
America where he has been, nor is it
| spoken Of by any writeron America, ex-
Ct pit by Aieedo, who mentions it in q
| few words at the end of his Dictionario
Geographico-His torico de las Indias
| decide ntales Of, America. II is indeed
surprising, that such an useful vegetable
should not yet have found writer to
make US acquainted with Its history, or a
sir Walter Raleigh, to convey it as va
liable present to other regions, as ii
might easily be conveyed by seeds OF
roots.
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