8o 



It would appear that the "sweet" or "bitter" character of a cas- 

 sava is not directly connected with its content of hydrocyanic 

 acid but is dependent upon the presence or absence of some bitter 

 principle This is obvious since some " sweet" cassavas contain 

 as much hydrocyanic acid as " bitter" varieties ; and in any case 

 there would be gradations of bitterness dependent upon hydro- 

 cyanic content. The real cause of "bitterness" in cassava has 

 yet to be ascertained and it would appear that Carmody's rule is 

 not altogether a reliable criterion for discriminating between 

 sweet and bitter varieties, although undoubtedly applicable to our 



native varieties of cassava 



Edible Properties. 

 It seemed desirable to obtain evidence as to the eating qualities 

 of these Colombian varieties of cassava and a select committee 

 consisting of two chemists, the messenger, the stillerman, the 

 cook and the laboratory boy, was appointed to taste and appraise 

 the flavour of the 25 varieties. The carpenter proved to be a 

 cassava enthusiast and added himself to the committee so that 

 the opinions recorded may be considered to be fairly representa- 

 tive. It was soon apparent that there was a division of tastes 

 the majority favouring the mealy type of tuber— dry and floury, 

 like a good potato, well boiled — while a minority with depraved 

 taste, consisting of the boy and the carpenter, gloried in ' gummi- 

 ness' and rejoiced in gelatinous slime. 



After the committee had completed the serious task of passing 

 judgment on the 25 varieties, the carpenter complained that 

 although he had purchased an appetising lunch he found himself 

 unable to taste it. Fortunately, there were no serious symptoms, 

 and the trouble proved to be due, not to cyanogenetic action, but 

 to over-confidence in internal accommodation. 



The messenger declared himself ready to continue his duties on 

 a sweet cassava committee daily, so long as a supply was obtain- 

 able. On the whole these cassavas gave great satisfaction and 

 were considered of unusual quality and of great filling power. 

 The following varieties are selected from this trial as being 

 varieties giving a good yield of tubers of high edible quality : — 

 Mealy Varieties. Soft Varieties. 



1. Negrita 15 I. Governor Hemming 



2. Cenaguera 2. Cajon Amarilla. 



3. Negrita II 



4. Helada 4 



The results are given in detail in a series of tables, I — V. Table 

 I gives the tonnage and the description of the stem, foliage and 

 habit as determined at the Hope Experiment Station by W. Harris, 

 Esq., F.L.S., the Superintendent. Table II gives a description of 

 the character of the tubers as to colour, skin, size and shape of 

 tuber as recorded at the Laboratory by Mr. G. D. Goode. Table 

 III records the yields and composition of the tubers of the 26 

 varieties arranged in order of indicated starch yield per acre. 

 The specific gravity as determined by the cassava balance, and 



