TRUCK CROPS 281 



term " cassava " in Spanish is applied to a kind of bread 

 made from the starchy roots and not to the plant 

 itself, as in English. The roots of the bitter cassa- 

 vas, which closely resemble the sweet varieties in 

 appearance, contain hydrocyanic acid and therefore 

 are poisonous. They are, however, largely employed 

 in starch making. Cassava starch is of superior 

 quality. As the yield per acre is much greater 

 than with potatoes, there is reason to suppose that the 

 starch industry of the tropics will ultimately prove 

 to be of great importance. The long, fleshy roots 

 (not tubers) constitute the edible part of the plant. 

 They are cut up in sections and boiled like potatoes. 

 They do not become mealy, but remain wet and 

 soggy, and though on account of their easy produc- 

 tion they are very widely used, they do not com- 

 pare as a food with either yams or malangas. 

 Besides its use for food and in starch making cassava 

 furnishes a good stock food, being eaten by both 

 hogs and cattle. It can be grown with some success 

 in Florida and along the Gulf coast, where it has 

 attracted considerable attention as a forage plant. 

 It is propagated by means of cuttings of the stems. 

 These grow very readily. The plant is not particu- 

 lar as to soils, but will thrive on a great variety of 

 them and will give fair yields on land that is too 

 poor for most other crops. The plant is perennial, 

 and the roots continue to increase in size for a 

 number of years. They soon begin to get woody, 

 however, so the crop is usually dug in from twelve 

 to eighteen months. Roots of edible size are pro- 

 duced in six to eight months if conditions are favor- 



