The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-04-26
"a Kansas Inquirer" Answered,
Editor of The Florida Agriculturist:

Il
Editor of The Florida Aariculturist:
In answer to VIM. Fl. Larimore's
communication in your issue of
April 5th, and hoping this may also
interest many others, l pen the tol-
lowing:
The general use" of cassava is
that of feeding pigs, which are here
more highly thought OF than human
beings, tor / see that by our State
law person may be fined $4,000 for
attempting to poison one of these
nuisances. l am informed by those
who have used this root, that pigs
are fond of it raw. and fatten we'll on
it. 1t is supposed to consist mainly
of starch, but l suspect, from having
assisted in the " obstruction" of some
500 pounds of it in the form of bread
last winter, that it contains consider
able gluten. l know of no plant
growing at the North which 1 can at
all liken it to in appearance. In
Southern Kansas one may sometimes
meet with small cotton fields. Cas-
sava has some little resemblance to
the cotton plant, but about as much
to good strong growth of dahlia.
IT. will stand several degrees of frost.
Stalks which grew here last year, are
still growing. L helped to dig two
year old root few months ago,
(from vigorous plant which had
been killed to the ground in winter
of '80-'8I which was six feet long,
and from one to three inches in di-
ameter, and weighed eleven pounds
second root of about the same di-
mensions, was in the same hill. This
Sswas or goodvpiue land A root OF
twenty-four pounds weight has been
produced in this region. Ihave seen
it noted that one of sixty pounds
was exhibited recently at the Atlanta
Exposition. But In an ordinary crop
of 200 bushels per acre, the roots
will run from tour ounces, to three
pounds, being mostly of about one 10
one and half pounds, Last winter
l purchased for table use, 500 pounds
in the ground, and the above is about
the style of roots I dug. The pro-
duct was at the rate of about 200
bushels per acre, on ground which did
not produce fifty bushels of sweet>
potatoes per acre. l have heard
that at Sinclair's starch factory in the
southern part Of Orange county, it
produces about 400 bushels per acre,
also that the price offered by the fac>
tory, was but forty cents per hun
dred pounds, and that the farmers
quit raising it at that figure. 1t re-
quires careful handling in digging
and hauling. l found it blackened
if the roots were exposed to air many
days, yet this discoloration did not,
at least for some davs, affect the
taste. When l buried it soon after
digging, there was but little if any
loss at the end of one month. An
advantage in it is, that the roots are
generally not over nine inches be~
meath the surface of the earth, and
where the soil has age enough to be
devoid of surface, pine, and gopher
roots and sticks, the Cassava is reads
lily dug by simply pulling at the main
stalk. Some roots being quite tender
and brittle, may break in two, but
little experience will enable the har
vester to bring up almost every root
entire.
Some experiments of chemist
near Tampa, have shown that a fine
quality OF glucose or grape sugar, is
readily produced from the starch OF
the cassava. The tapioca of cons
merce, is produced from cassava
starch, but | can learn of none being
made in Florida. Though the plant
produces seed in the Semi>Tropic re-
gions of this State sparipgly, l learn
of no efforts to sprout them. 1t is or
dinarily p1opagated by cuttings OF
the main stalk and layer branches.
Some times the main stalk is one and
a half to two inches in diameter, in
which case the cuttings may be made
quite short, say one TO two inches.
With wood of one inch diameter, /
use cuttings six inches LONG. The