HORTICUIvTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



Useful or Economic Plants^ 



By G. V. Nash — March 14, 1906. 



This subject is a broad one, and it would be impossible here to at- 

 tempt to cover the whole subject. Only some of the useful and economic 

 plants of tropical America were touched upon. 



Among the fiber plants, of which there are many in all parts of the 

 world, perhaps the most extensively cultivated in tropical America is Agave 

 rigida, known as heniquen or sisal hemp. It belongs to the am?ryllis fam- 

 ily, and is said to be a native of Yucatan. It is extensively cultivated as 

 sisal, particularly in Yucatan, West Indies, Turks Island, and Bahamas. It 

 is especially useful for the manufacture of ship's cables, as it resists damp- 

 ness better than hemp. 



Among rubber plants may be mentioned Castilloa elastica, a native of 

 Mexico and known as the Mexcian rubber tree. It is a member of the 

 mulberry family, Moraceae. It is largely cultivated in Central America 

 The milky juice is obtained by incisions into the bark, and it is coagulated 

 by adding alum or a decocton of Calonyction speciosum. An old tree, 

 when first cut, is said to yield 8 gallons, each gallon making about 2 lbs., of 

 rubber. On a large plantation on the north side of Haiti this tree is 

 planted with the chocolate tree, Theobroma Cacao, eventually furnishing 

 the shade needed by the latter tree, so that two crops may be growing on 

 the same land. Another rubber tree is Hevea brasiliensis, said to furnish 

 the best South American rubber. The seeds of this plant are said to be 

 poisonous to man and quadrupeds, but are harmless to and readily eaten 

 by birds. 



Among the grasses, we have the common bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris, 

 widely distributed in tropical America, but a native of Asia. Its uses to the 

 natives are so many that they cannot all be mentioned here. Sections of the 

 stem are made into flower pots and other utensils, water-pipes, troughs, etc. 

 The stems are also extensively used in making the framework of houses. 

 Another tree of great use is the calabash tree, Crescentia Cujute, a member 

 of the Bignoniaceae. The fruit of this is manufactured into all sorts of ves- 

 sels. It is hardly necessary to mention tobacco, which is largely grown, es- 

 pecially in Cuba. 



Among the plants yielding beverages or drinks, the most important is 

 Coflfea arabica, from which the coffee of commerce is obtained. The coffee 

 berries are red, about the size of small cherries, each berry containing two 

 seeds, which are the coffee beans of commerce. Its use as a beverage is said 

 to have originated in Abyssinia, and then to have passed into Arabia. It 

 was first introduced into Europe about 1573. Another important beverage 

 plant is Theobroma Cacao, from which is manufactured cocoa and choco- 



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