270 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Ai'cusT 26, 1905, 



CULTIVATION OF TAPIOCA IN JAVA. 



Tlic following account <>{ the cultivation of c:'.ssa\a 

 and the manufacture of tapioca in Java is containcil in 

 the U. S. Monthly Cuosular Reports for April: — 



Tapioca can be cultivated from sea-level to altitudes of 

 luore than .■!,000 feet and can be planted at any .season, but 

 that planted near the close of the rainy season, the latter part 

 of ilarch. thrives best, as it requires moisture when first 

 jilanted. It takes between seven and eight months to yield, 

 so that there is no second crop in one year, as with rice. The 

 crop is poor where there is shade, and the seed is planted on 

 open land. 



Although the best crops are had when the plant is 

 grown in loose soil, having sufficient humus and sand, it does 

 very well when planted in poor soil provided there is no 

 shade. "When planted in dark soil it grows well, often 

 forming fine, large stalks, but at the cost of the roots. If 

 planted in clay land tapioca does very poorly. 



When the land is well ploughed, broken cuttings of 

 about 1 foot long are planted about 4 feet aiiart. These 

 cutting.s, or slips, are taken from the niidtlle of a phint which 

 is moderately old, always choosing the straightest i)lants, and 

 are cut Hat at the top and pointed at the bottom. The plant 

 begins to sprout about five days after being planted, and no 

 ■needing is done until the plants have grown at least a foot 

 and leaves are beginning to form. When they are two or 

 three months old weeding is done for the second time and 

 earth is put around the plants. Further weeding is not 

 necessary, as after three months the shade from the leaves 

 keeps the weeds from growing. 



Most planters leave three branches on the stem, remov- 

 ing the other shoots in order to keep the jilant from growing 

 too high and forming a large root stem. If allowed to grow 

 naturally, it attains a height of 10 feet or more ; in cidtiva- 

 tion it is permitted to reach a height of only about 6 feet. 

 In low lands, tapioca plants mature at seven and eight 

 months, but in high lands they generally take nine months. 

 The native jilanters often allow the plant to stand until 

 a full year old. The root then becomes quite soft, but is 

 not leally harmed for the manufacture of flour. It is said, 

 liowever, that a smaller amount of flour is obtained from 

 roots over nine months old. 



One great advantage of tajiioca over other plants is that 

 it if not subject to any disease and reipiires but little caie 

 while growing. Much damage, however, is done to the 

 plant by wild pigs. 



The harvesting of the tapioca plant is very simple. The 

 plant is cut off near the ground and the root is dug up, 

 peeled, and washed in running water, then rasped. The 

 Ijulp is worked in a tub of water until, when it is i)ressed, 

 clear water runs out. It is then pressed through a cloth 

 stretched over a barrel, and the fluid allowed to settle for 

 twent3--four hours, after which it begins to ferment. On the 

 third day the water is baled out leaving the flour at the 

 bottom, which is then taken out and dried in the sun for 

 three days, being crumbled by hand to facilitate the drying. 

 Some of the natives sell the wet flour to the manufactories, 

 where it is again washed and dried in the sun or upon hot 

 plates. 



At the manufactories, most of which belong to Chinese, 

 the inocess is carried on by machinery, run chiefly liy water 

 power. The principal part, the rasp, is a cylinder, 118 to 



1.")'7 inches long, and .jO to .">'9 inches in diameter, covered 

 with short jiieces of wire. The pulp falls from the rr.s[) into- 

 a receptacle, by the aid of a little water which is allowed to 

 run on the rasp. The pulp then runs into the sieve, an 

 octagonal or hexagonal cylinder, 4'36 or 5-4.5 yards lone, 

 covered with fine brass-wire gauze, and lying at a slope. This 

 is turned slowly and water is kept running on it. The puli> 

 comes out of the lower end while the flour goes through the 

 gauze with the water and is taken to the settler. It is then 

 stirred and settled for a second time, then dried and 

 cruni[iled by hand in the sun. Afterwards it goes to the 

 drying ovens, where great care must be taken not to overheat 

 the [ilates and liurn the flour. 



After the flour is well dried it is divided into two sort.s 

 according to colour and grain. The first quality consists of 

 a fine, white flour, the second quality being slightly coloured 

 and of a rougher gr;un. There is also an intermediate (piality 

 made by the natives. It is calculated that 810 Itj. of the root 

 produce 136 B). of flour. 



Prices realized in the past year were as follows, per 

 136 ft. :— First quality, .$2-01 ; second quality, 81-81 : third 

 quality, 90c. 



The finest quality of flour is exported to the United 

 States and Great Britain. During 1903 .some 880,000 

 worth was exported to the United States. The total amount 

 exported that year was 25,058,104 lb. The tapioca root 

 is also used by the natives and Chinese as food, and .sells at 

 about Ic. iier plant on the field. 



CASSAVA CULTIVATION AT ANGUILLA. 



As previously mentioned in the Aijriculfaral 

 ]\'cu:v (Vol. IV, p. 200), the newly formed Agricultural 

 Society at Anguilla is devoting attention to the cassava 

 industry. The Secretary of the society has forwarded 

 the following information in this connexion : — 



There are two varieties of bitter cassava grown in the 

 island, the ' .Tacquelot ' or 'white .stick' and the 'black 

 stick.' The 'white stick' is inferior to 'black slick,' but 

 can be grown in poor land which will not produce the 

 'black stick.' 



The average yield of roots per acre is [ilaced at 29,040 lb. 

 for the ' black stick.' This estimate is arrived at by 

 calculating the plants 3 feet by 4 feet apart, and a yield of 

 8 lb. from each plant. Eight pounds appear to be a very 

 safe estimate. ^lany of the members spoke of 15 Iti. to the 

 plant, and one who has had long experience as a planter said 

 that he had seen the 3-ield increased to 30 R. per plant liv the 

 use of rotted cotton seed as a fertilizer. 



The length of time taken to mature is ten to twelve 

 months for ' black stick ' and six months for ' white stick.' 



The probable area of land available for cultivation was 

 estimated at three-fourths of the total arable land in the 

 island, and it was thought three-fourths of that woidd trrow 

 the 'black stick.' 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Ml'. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., arrived from liingland 

 on August 15 and assumed his duties as Mycologist 

 and Lecturer in Agricidtural Science on the stati' of 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture in succession 

 to Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, B.A., F.L.8. 



Mv. Thomas Jackson arrived from England by last 

 mail and pr(jceeded to Antigua to assume the duties of 

 the Curatorship of the Botanic Station. 



