The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-04-09
1854
Starch-PrOducing Plants.
AUSTRALIAN AEROwROOT

arrowrOot in several of the Aus
tralian colonies, facilities having been
afforded by the culture and distribu-
ton Of the several plants from the
excellent botanic gardens at Mel
bourn, Sydney and Brisbane.
Gamma Achrds, Gillies, native of
Mendoza, is one of the few extra
tropical Cannas eligible for arrow
root cultivation.
g. giaucd, Lin, and G. coccinea,
Aitkin, yield, with some other Can
mas, the particular arrowroot called
touS les moiS G. .Raccida, Roscoe,
of Carolina, is probably also availa-
BILE for arrowroot.
g. eduliS, Ker, the Adeira OF Peru,
is one of the hardest Of the arrow
root plants, for seeds, even if many
years old, will terminate, and are
commonly called indian shot.
This species has been extensively
introduced into Australia, and,
according to Baron Mueller, yields
an excellent starch at Melbourn,
Western Port, Lake Wellington,
Ballarat, and other localities, from
plants supplied by the Melbourn b.
tanic Garden.
w. Rev. Mr. Hagenauer, of the
LOWS Land Aboriginal Mission sta
lion, obtained 220 lbs. of arrowroot
from ! Of an acre Of this Gamma.
The gathering of the roots in Aus
tralia is effected about April. The
plants can be set in ordinary plowed
land. Captain James Hall, OF Hast
ings, prepared also starch largely
from this root The starch grains, it
is well known, are remarkably large.
Neu- South Wales.-Mdr01at0 no
bills appears to be the species chiefly
cultivated for arrowroot in New
South Wales.
In 1870 there were 81 acres of
land under arrow, DOT in New South
Wales, from which 1867 lbs. of ar
rowroot were obtained, being 1921
lbs. less than were made in the pre-
vious year from only 81 acres of
land. l., 1872 from 2G acres &c, 454
lbs. were made.
Queensland This colony appears
to be peculiarly suited for the cult
walton OF arrowroot, which is gradu-
ally supplanting the imported West
Indian product in the Australian mar.
ket. A very small price, about Sd
per h., remunerates the grower who
manufactures on a large scale. The
plants grown are Mdrd'at0 0rwaO1s,aG-
cea and Gamma eduliS. Mowihot mit-
iSsima and Jdnip1t0, and a japanese
variety, ". JooonicG, are also cult
waited.
From Queensland, 26,368 lbs. OF
arrowroot, valued at &548, were ex-
ported in 1869, the first shipment OF
few packages having been made in
1860. The cultivation and manufac-
ture of arrowroot IS becoming an i'm
portant affair in that colony. The
export of the article has gone on in
creasing for the last five or six years.
In 1868 it scarcely had an existence
in 1870 the export had reached 3d.
600 lbs. But the quantity exported
is smal III comparison with the guam
tity oi.sumed in the colony; for it
is III iavor with all classes of the
community, and forms an easily di-
gested, but nourishing aud most ap.
propriate article of food during their
long, hot Summer. AS the majority
of farmers on the coast lands, and
not few OF the inland farmers as
well, have a patch of roots and a
mill and appliances for reducing
them, the total quantity of starch
made will probably be about 100000
lbs.
Pacific ISics.--A plant largely cul-
tivated is the Idcc0 pi'aadt!tida
Forster, which is indigenous to the
sandy shores Of the South Sea Is
lands, and is known in Ocanica, but
especially in Tahiti, under the native
name of Pia. This plant is how
ever now widely diffnsed. 1t is met
with i'll China and Cochin China, &C.
cording to IIoureiro. 1t is cultivat-
ed in the Moluccas, Arracan, and
other parts Of India, and at Zanzibar.
1t is found in large quantities in
Cooks Archipelago, the Hervey
Islands, at Raiatea, Huahine. Bora
Bora, Maupiti, and the Hawaiian
Islands, the Samoas, Tonga, the Fee
jee Islands, etc. The tubercles bear
much resemblance to the potato, but,
unlike that root, the fecula is found
chiefly i'll the center and not toward
the exterior. The proportion of
starch Welded is 304 pcr cent.