The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-01-04
From the American GrOeer.I
ilPf0OI. -.
where II Is Found and Few II is Pre-
PaTtd--CariOHs Fsels.


The plant from which tApieea ia oh
tanned is native Of South Amsrjea
and cultivated extensivelys In Rr.zII'
IS a.sO in many parts Of the Fast Tnl
dies and the Iudlan ArebioeiaV,,. Tt
Is woody plant, with slender .t,.lhs
3 and grows to tha height az .totIf
eight feet, and known a. the CaSssva
! or Ma0diOe plant It has snooth
palm shaped leaves, and bears smafI
green flowers, which grow In e,r,- terS
With an immense sizsd isshv root
sOmrt mes Weighing as much a fo-a,sl
or dfty pounds. The plsl,t belongs =,
q highly poisonous tribe, and i stsSlf
one OF the most yiruieut nf ehS
species Fhis pois0r b fouDd rnors
DzItieuiarly On the juice Of the plant.
sinaiI quantity killing birds, qusd-
rupeds, aud even man hinssif. ,.slns. \
ing cold perspirztlOns, great s,RsIIins
and cnDVulzions, gensrAliy sendtng m 4
dssath /; out this deletsriuIIs suIISts,.e. |
Is 50 highly vOlztils n expOsed TO hestd
OI even the open air or abOot rs1,,l
days, t6aL Its property Is entirely dis--l
sipated. re..f - :, ~
a 5urinam physician administered
- HA-Hy u - ~ QOKH AND Il
cats, which died after tEentv-fiv va
minutes in dreadful agony. Dissar.
ton proved teat it operated bV means |
OF tne nervous system sl0ne-an oDin- /
ton confirmed by thlrty-six drops be-
ing given to q criminal Tness b~d 4
hardly reached the stomach when
such torments and cOnvulsiops enSusd
that the ma1 expired ia SIX minutss
fNhraa hnnra aff0ruw.-Y q
Opened when the stomach was fouut
snrunk to bali its natural size, so that
would appear that the poisonous
lCincip's rssl is4 IA th3 vOlsstIs sub /
stance, Ehicn may be dissIpzted BY
heat, as Indeed. is satisfactorily proved
oy the mode of preparing the root f,r
food.
The root from which tapIoea is pro-
cured is OF rapid growth and comes To
psrIection IN six months, aud some
what resembles = huge pArsnip. Ii is
tnen taken up and washed, and the
rlnd, which Is OF = dark color, peeled
OIL ) then grated or ground into a
pulp, and the pulp submitted to II
pressure, by which the juice Is ex-
pressed ami preserved Fine meal or
pulp that remains In the press being
dried Is called eonsGue, and is made
into bread or cake, which sre called /
casszva bread. Tue expressed Juice.
sft-r being allowed TO stand, deposits
s white powder, which, after being 4,
well washed ana dried, Constitutes
what IS called tspiOca Il Jur or BrssiI-
ian arrOEroot, and by the French, /,
pOpssache, All the products Cf the
roots are nutritious and easy Of d. L,
gestiOn. The natives frequent fer
ment the expressed juice with mo-
lasSss and form an intoxicating bev-
ersge called Onyc4n, that supplies the
place Of wine and beer of the temper
ate climate. When the climate. is
favorable, the plant is OF q bardy na-
ture and easily cultivated. Itre0ujres
3 dry situation aud the Izud to Ds of !
good quality, and will not we'll Weld !
on the same ground two successive !
crops. The mode Of planting is from !
cuttings, and little mOisturs is need !
ed by this plant at its first growth.
There are nine different species I
by botsnists, but two on :
Iy of which are cultivated for human J
food they are known as the bitter
eassava aud the sweet eassava. The
roots are very similar, the first by far
the most poisonous. Tue on!y per-
eeptibls differences between the two
roots being . tough lignous cord run d
ming through the center OF the sweet
easssvs root which the bitter variety Q
. wholly without. I
Bread is made Of both KINDS, which
8 palatable and wholesome. In
Guiana the mode Of preparation is a. .
ollows Tue root Is rasped in large .
,ins or wooden graters fixed on
behind which the women {
in making it stand In rows. c
4 sufficient quantity being rasped for {
)ne time (for the surplus would fer v
Dent snd spOiD, it is put 10 long, cir.
,ular baskets Of plated Tushes, about Il
en feet long and nine inches In di. Y
smeter, called mauRueras. These are q
lung up with weights attached To the q
over end, which draw the plated q
VOrk tight together, thus squeeJiDk '
ut the Juice. When all the fluid h &
attracted the maugueras are emptied q
" their contents on raw hides laid c
ut Ia the sun, where the coarse -four &
Don dries. 1t Is thus baked on 4
mOOth plates, made OF dry clay, with b
! slow FIRE beneEth. THIS Is the most q
iificult part OF the process. The &
coarse flour is laid perfectly dry on (
be hot plates, when the women, with d
! deXterlty only to be acquired BY
practice, spread it out In a round and e
yery thin layer, nearly the sizs OF the G
Hate il is laid ON. This they do mere q
y With q piece Of calabash, which d
hey keep in constant motion, press
nR gently every part OF the surface
Until the heat has united the meal ia
o cake, without IN the least alterIngl
he color or scOrching IL. Their
method Of turning 3 eassava cake Of :
hat size Is like slight-Of-hand, flF :,
hey effect it with two pieces of split :,
isne without breaking IT,, though a
carce!y IS thick as = dollar, and, as
ret, only half cemented together and =
Il substance always brittle, espeeiaI- :
y when warmed.
This cake Is very nCurlshing anJ :,
will melt to jelly in q liquid. The y
AXE after becoming cold, In broken =
lp and Is the tapiOea OF commerce, =
)ut IL Is dangerous II eaten in any
arge quantity when dry, as Il sWells,
N being moistened, to many times J
Is original bulk. It will keep good =
or any length OF time II kept in q dry y
,laee. The Eastern tapiOca is geuer- :
lily in bags OF about one hundred
POUNDS each, but that Of South y
Ameriea, aud commercially known !,
g Rio tspiocs Is generally packed in 4,
'arrels OF about two hundred pounds :,
weight, and is considered far superior ,,
n quslityi consequently IL COM 7,
nands 3 much higher price. The In =
hans oftentimes eat the simple root
'fter having roasted il in hot ashes y
Without any subsequent preparation
he leaves are also boiled and eaten
y the Indians. Such ts the product
veness Of the cassays plant, that Ii
las been calcnlsted that one acre Of It
will yield nOurishment to more hu-
nan beings than six acres OF wheat. d