The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-18

Says a Florida writer In American Agri-
culturist: This plant is a shrub which
grows six or seven feet high in one season,
and considerably higher the second if not
cut down by frost. 1t is perennial in the
tropics. The roots grow fulsiform or
spindle-shaped, and in a rich, mellow
soil sometimes reach a weight of thirty
and more if left TO grow two years. An
orange grower of this state dug six hills in
succession, taken at random. The entire
weight of the roots from each hill was as
follows: Az, 80, q, 2S12, IS and SS pounds.
The two heaviest hills grew near orange
trees which had been generously fertilized
and were, therefore, disproportionately
heavy. At $500 hills to the acre these
weights, reduced to an average of 80
pounds, would give the enormous product
of 1900 pounds, or 81 tons. 1t is eonsid-
cred by some farmers to be worth one
fourth as much as corn for feeding pur-
poses and by others one-third as much
This in weight is equal to over 1900 BUSH
els of corn and In feeding value to at
least $50 bushels. These hills were dus
from a trial patch of an acre of common
high pine" thin, sandy land, which had
been fortified only by blowing under cow
pea vines and applying cotton seed meal
at the rate Of 100 pounds per acre.
Cattle will eat the leaves OF the shrub
and it has lately been discovered that pigs
will eat the stalks so long as they are sue
culent But the roots are the principal
part to be considered. The United States
government analyses showed that these
contain, in a fresh state, 70 per cent of
water, q of starch and of sugar They
are readily eaten by all kinds of STOCK
though single animals now and then have
to be persuaded to take the first taste OF
them by having a little bran or meal
sprinkled over the cut roots.
They are especially valuable Tor mich
COWS, of which fact the writer has made
personal test. A cow was fed alternate
weeks on equal weights of cassava and
sweet potatoes with cut green rye. During
the time which she received the cassavas
she gave about two pounds of milk at
each milking more than she did on the
sweet potatoes. They keep horses fat and
sleek as moles, and are excellent TO fat
ten swine. They are equally valuable for
poultry. Go with crowbar every third or
fourth morning, thrust it under the stem
and pry up, bringing the great, brown
smooth tubers toward the center aud euf-
fcienuy out of the sand so that the fowls
will do the rest by scratching They will
return TO them a dozen times day
scratching and peckng, thus getting the
needed exercise. They keep this up all
winter and lay eggs in generous measure
This prolific and valuable tuber has its
drawbacks It cannot be dug and stored,
hut must be dug fresh every few days.
The seed, which Is simply the stalks cut
into sections is rather more difficult to
keep through the winter than sweet pota-
toes The roots will never supplant pota-
toes for human food, as 1t requires two or
three hours to cook them. But as teed FOR
live stock cassava has an undouoted great
vaIue and IL ought to be grown by The
thousands OF acres in lhis state, whose
min sandy soil produces light crops of
grain. It requires less labor in cultivation
than. corn or potatoes.