142 NATURAL HISTORY. 



of water, it is found to consist of numerous granules of various 

 sizes, somewhat resembling those of maranta and tichar. They may- 

 be described as flat, somewhat irregular broadly ovoid bodies, 

 round at the larger end, and narrow, almost drawn to a point, at 

 the other, with a beautiful stratification, consisting of fine concen* 

 trie lines around the hilum, which is visible towards the narrow end. 

 To ascertain the proportion of nutriment principles of this arrow- 

 root, a thorough analysis by a competent chemist is a desideratum. 

 So far as my enquiries go, no such analysis has been made. 



I am led to believe that arrowroot was obtained by a rough 

 process by the hill men, long before the Chinese ticket-of-leave 

 men manufactured it; and is still obtained by the inhabitants of 

 the hill from the plant, which grows all over. It is now being 

 manufactured at Gutad, about 3 miles from Frere Hall, and sold 

 chiefly to natives, hence it cannot be of a very inferior kind, as 

 stated by Dr. McConaghy. I shall now proceed to describe other 

 Indian plants which yield various kinds of arrowroot. The best 

 arrowroot is that which is prepared from the rhizome of Maranta 

 arundinacea, Rose. Scitam, tab. 25, a herbaceous plant, native 

 of the tropical parts of America, and of the West India Islands. 

 A variety of it, named M. Indica Tussac, Rose. Scitam tab. 26, 

 occurs in Bengal, Java and the Philippines, considered by Grisebach 

 in his Flora of the British West-Indian Islands to be a species 

 distinct from M. arundinacea. It is said that the arrowroot 

 cultivated at first in Brazil, was from the rhizomes carried thither 

 from India by the Portuguese. 



The chief kinds of arrowroot-, the produce of Maranta, are from 

 Bermuda, Natal, St. Vincent, Jamaica and other West India 

 Islands, Brazil and the East Indies. The latter is prepared from 

 the tuber of M. Indica above mentioned, and sold pure or mixed 

 with Tichar Arrowroot, presently to be mentioned. Maranta 

 arundinancea is extensively cultivated at Dapoli in Rutnagherry, by 

 Mr. Narayen Ramchandra Gupte. The Commissariat Department 

 lately gave him the contract for 1886-87 for the supply of arrow- 

 root to the several military stations in the Bombay Presidency. 

 The total amount required at these stations in 1886-87 was about 

 5,0001bs. Mr. Gupte will have to supply this quantity of arrowroot 

 at the rate of 4£ annas per pound. It may be stated here that this 

 arrowroot on examination, both microscopic and chemical, proves 

 to be fully equal to the Bermuda arrowroot. It is also cultivated 



