New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1901-12-28
THE CASAVA PLANT.

stuff at the present time, the fol
lowing article on the casava crop
from the Times Democrat, should
be of great deal of interest tc
feeders Of stock.
Few, | believe, of the numerous
agricultural readers of the Times.
Democrat are familiar with the
casava plant and its value as an
article of human consumption and
food for animals. Hence, l pro.
pose to give for their benefit brief
history Of the origin and habits of
the plant, and to make it more ac-
curate | will borrow freely from
the bulletin Of DR.. Stockbridge,
director of the Florida Experiment
Station, and from other sources in
the hope that l may interest some
of the most progressive and entei-
prising farmers to give casava a
fair trial, in which case | feel con-
fident, Judging from my personal
experience with this most valuable
plant, that our states will come
into possession of an article whose
money value may exceed at no dis
tant day that of the corn crop.
Casava is tropical plant. 1t
has served as the chief article of
diet for the aborigines of the West
Indian Islands, Central and South
America. and is served at present
three times day at the table of
the wealthiest as well as the poor
est men of Brazil and other South
American States. The plant grows
luxuriantly to the height of five or
six feet, with many branches of
dark green, reddish leaf; the main
stalk is covered with nodes from
which the next generation of
plants is obtained, as is the case
with sugar cane. 1t is planted in
hills, four feet apart each way, for
the easier cultivation and better
development of the plant. Under
favorable conditions the growth is
rapid and luxuriant, but it is the
underground roots that give the
plant the real value. The roots
are attached to the main stalk and
are usually from one to three
inches in diameter and from one to
two feet long, as the result of one
years growth. They consist of
white solid tissue, harder and drier
than potatoes and contain a large
quantity of starch.
Casava has been cultivated in
Florida for several years now with
highly satisfactory results, both
for starch purposes and stock feed !
ing. 1t thrives best on moderate
ly fertile sandy soil and possesses
great drought-withstanding power,
very much surprising corn in this
respect. DR.. Stockbridge makes |
the statement that to his person.
al knowledge, casava thrives as
far north as Macon, Georgia, and
might be grown to advantage in
a large part of the Carolinas,
Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana
and Texas, but being sensitive to
frost as much as the tomato plant |
is, casava will get its full develop
ment in sections where the spring
frost ceases with the middle of
March and killing frost does not
occur until after the middle of Oc-
tober.
AS to the yield, the Experiment
Station of Florida gives an average
of six and a half tons per acre,
this during an exceptional bad sea-
son and on the poorest soil of the
station. Experiments carried on
in Georgia on soil we'll cultivated
and supplied with the proper fer
tilizer the yield was much over ten
tons per acre, but from my own
observation it will be safer to cal |
culate at the beginning on a yield
of about six tons per acre.
Casava is strictly a starch form
ing crop or fat former. When
used it becomes one of
the most economical heat and fat
forming articles of food for all
classes of animals, human beings
included. Casava presents marked
characteristics Of both potatoes aud
sugar beets, but contains very much
more total food, because of its
greater solidity, and smaller con-
tent Of water. All things consid-
cred, casava comes nearer supply
ing a perfect ration Of farm stock |
than any other concentrated food.
Saw Death Near.
kT 1