250 THE PIvANT WORI^D 



longer, a second crop may be harvested ; by this method, called " castra- 

 tion " in Trinidad, it is estimated that an acre of Tanier can be made to 

 yield thirty tons of tubers at one planting ; few crops can produce one- 

 half of this amount. 



Though preferring rich, moist loam, the Tanier is content with almost 

 any soil ; like its near relative, the Taro, or Elephant's Ear, it revels in 

 plenty of fresh water, but while the leaf development may be greater in 

 wet situations the tuber percentage suffers. The leaves vary from pale 

 green to deep mauve purple; in some sorts, like the "Palma," leaves 

 three feet wide by four feet long are common. A Tanier field in its prime 

 is a beautiful sight. 



Boiled, fried, or baked, the better kinds of Tanier are superior to the 

 Irish potato ; though most varieties are not so " mealy " they are richer, 

 firmer, and possess more distinct flavor. Most sorts are pure white, but 

 four are pinkish purple, and several are of various shades of yellow. The 

 roots keep fairly well after harvesting and would undoubtedly endure 

 shipping to the Central States. 



And now that the days of popular prejudice against anything new in 

 the food line are dying out fortunately, we may expect to see the rare 

 and royal old Tanier soon entering the northern markets and rapidly 

 gaining favor as one of the best of many good things to come out of the 

 Tropics. Twenty thousand years late but it will win ! 



Exhibit of the New York Horticultural 



Society. 



By Pauline Kaufman. 



Under the auspices of the Horticultural Society of New York the 

 fifth annual exhibition of wild and cultivated flowers took place at Bronx 

 Park Museum on May 11th and 12th. As usual, the Agassiz Association 

 of Bedford Station had the best showing of wild flowers, though owing 

 to the backward season the number of specimens was smaller than that 

 of last year. The violet family was well represented by such members 

 as Viola cucidlata, variety palniata ; V. catiina, rotundifolia, palustris, 

 rostrata being the rarest of the purple ones ; blanda, lanceolata, priniu- 

 laefolia, and striata of the white variety, V. Canadensis being white and 

 purple in parts ; scabriuscida alone was yellow. Trillixim gra^idiflorum 

 and Wake Robin made a fine appearance. Orchis spedabilis, and Cypri- 

 pedium parviflorinn in buds, bluets, columbine, wild ginger, Robins 

 plantain, early everlasting, wild geranium, several of the mustards, shad 

 bush, bellwort, Dutchman's breeches, blood root, dwarf ginseng, corn 



