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lected over 300 distinct varietal names, in use among the natives. 

 A certain proportion of these were synonyms and variants. After 

 making all due allowances and examining the native taros them- 

 selves in hundreds of plantings, we arrived at the mature con- 

 clusion that the primitive Hawaiians cultivated and habitually 

 recognized over 200 distinct varieties and strains of taro. Much 

 of the old culture has been wholly abandoned, and many of the 

 varieties today are very localized, or on the verge of extinction. 



Some of the more important and representative varieties are 

 indicated irL^the following list: Aha-kea, Apii, Apu-wai, Azveo- 

 iveo, Lulu, Hae-ha'e, Ha'o-kea, Ka'i, Koa'e, Kumu, Lau-loa, 

 Lehiia, Lola, Mana, Manini, Naio, Owene, Palai'i, Pii-alii, Piko, 

 Poni, Uahi-a-Pele, Uluuiau, IVelo-zvelo-la. The choicer kinds 

 were raised exclusively for the chiefs and nobility (alii) and 

 were often spoken of as "royal taro." Other kinds were reserved 

 for medicinal use, and for religious incantations and ceremonies. 



From the standpoint of cultivation the Hawaiian taros may be 

 conveniently classed in four groups : 



1. Those raised only in upland, dryland, or unirrigated re- 

 gions, kiila. 



2. Those raised only in wetlands, lowlands, or irrigated areas, 

 hi. 



3. Those raised both in wetlands and drylands, loi and kula. 



4. Wild taros, growing in damp places and swamps in or near 

 the forests. 



The islands of Hawaii and Maui were famous in the early days 

 for the excellence of their upland taros, whereas the islands of 

 Oahu and Kauai, with extensive coastal plains, were devoted 

 chiefly to the lowland kinds. Great skill was shown by the primi- 

 tive Hawaiians in diverting water from the mountain streams, 

 leading it through ditches down to the taro lands, and spreading 

 it over the valley floors and lowlands, where the innumerable tiny 

 patches, each surrounded by an embankment, were arranged in 

 a veritable patchwork of low terraces. 



Taro requires about one year for maturity. The corms are 

 dug, the roots and leafy tops removed, and the corms washed. 

 They are then thoroughly steam-cooked in a native underground 

 oven (will) ; this requires several hours. The cooked corms are 

 peeled and pounded into a soft, pasty mass. The pounding is 

 done in a long wooden trough or "poi-board," by means of stone 

 pestles. It is a laborious process, done by the men ; often two 

 men work at opposite ends of the same board. The finished 

 product is almost pure starch, and is called paiai or "hard poi." 

 To this suitable quantities of water are added, as required, and 

 it is thoroughly mixed. The resultant thick paste is the famous 

 poi of Haw^aii and the South Seas. It is a staple food in the 

 dietary of the natives.* It ferments slightly and will keep a 



* See The Food Plants of the Ancient Hawaiians, Vaughan Mac- 

 Caughey, The Scientific Monthly, 4:75-80, Jan., 1917. 



