Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-07-14

this country, a very valuable South 4,
merican plant, an account of which =,
given by Mr.. Vargas, in London .'s|
published in the annals of Botany n
o. 400. The popular name in Son,b Il
merica, is Arracach cha, and it is one of ;,
most useful plants in that country-n
der. Umbellifere; in its habits it rs.s ~
bles An Apium, and therefore sonet;r
called Apio. Its stalk generally diy;% '
from the upper part of the root into
veral stems. thickly beset with LARGO
bicular leaves gashed into severa! sio o~
and supported by large tubular pe.oYs
exceeding goose quill in thickness
roots Immediately divide into four o, e.
branches; and each OF these, if the soiI
Ii ght and the weather favorable -
grow to the size, and have nearly ~
shape of a large cows horn. This W
yields a food which is prepared in :, /
kitchens in the same manner as pota,oa
1t is extremely grateful to the nal,
more close than mealy; it is so tend.
thatit requires little cooking, and So es,5
of digestion that it is the common rra:
tice of the country to give it to conyals,
cents and persons with weak stomach
being thought much less fiatulent th,,
potatoes. Of its fecula is made starch d
variety of pastry work; reduced to l
pulp this root also enters into the CONN.
sition of certain fermented liquors, SIM
posed to be very proper to restore the h.,
tone of the stomach, In the city of SAINT,
Fe, and indeed in all places of this kiDs
dom, where they can obtain the Arraes
cha, they are of full as universal use >,
the potatoes are in England. Its cultiv,
ton requires deep slack mould, thatwiI
easilyyield to the descent of the lar Re ",
tical roots. 1t is pr opagated by cu,tin
the roots in pieces, each having an eve N
shoot, and by painting these in separate
holes. After three or four months Ii.
roots are of sufficient size and quanti,vnS
be used for culinary purposes; but if sui +
fered to remain six months in the ground
they will acquire an immense size, witt
out any detriment to their taste. The
colour of the root is either white yellow
or purple; but all are of the same quail.
ty- The most esteemed are those Of Lin
aron, about ten leagues north of the capi
tai (S'Fe) Like the potato, it does not
thrive in the hotter regions of the kin,
dom, for there the roots do not acauir..
any size, but throw up greater numberI
of stems, or at best they will be but small
and of Indifferent flavor. 1t thrives bed
in the elevated regions of the mountains
where the medium heat is between IS 4
90 degrees of Fahrenheit's scale, here
is that these roots grow most luxuriantvl
and acquire the most delicious taste. Nil
Vargas believes it peculiar to the pr
vince of Caracas and kingdom of sant
Fe, as he has met with it in no otis
part of America where he has been, nd
is it spoken of by any writer on Amereh
except by Alcedo, who mentions it in
few words at the end of his DiccionaS
Geographical Historico de las Indissa
cidentales America 1t is indeed su 4
prising, that such useful vegetab5
should not yethave found writer to max
US acquainted with its history, or S.
Walter Raleigh to convey it as valuab.
present to other regions, as it might ca.
ly be conveyed by seeds or roots.