

ANALYTICAL CLASS-BOOK OF HOT AW. 



not the least wonderful part of its history is, that the 

 same root furnishes a wholesome and excellent bread, a 

 deadly and virulent poison, and a delicate and nutritious 

 starch, which is the Tapioca of commerce. The Tao 

 root (. 'I<ntii>/>) is the chief article of cultiva- 



tion throughout the Sandwich and other Polynesian Isles, 

 answering the double purpose of vegetables and bread. 

 The acrid properties common to its family are dissipated 

 by heat. * The Yam is the root of a species of Dioscorea. 

 It ;- i iilii-r baked or boiled, and is a tolerable substitute 

 for bread. It will keep longer out of ground than any 

 other vegetable, and hence is proper for sea stores. The 

 Ti-r.'ot is also a native of the Polynesian Islands ; but 

 unhappily its true use is perverted, it being often manu- 

 factured by distillation into an intoxicating drink. The 

 natives assemble in whole neighborhoods for the purpose 

 of constructing the still, and surrendering themselves to 

 the exhilarating influence of the poison. 



540. ARROW-ROOT. This is a kind of very pure 

 white starch, prepared from the roots of different species 

 of Maranta. The West Indian article is best, and is 

 said to derive its name from the fact that the Indians 

 make use of the root to extract the poison of arrows. 

 Arrow-root is also prepared from a species of Arum. 

 All these are articles of nutriment or luxury; and they 

 are extensively used in preparing dishes for the sick. 



541. NT ROOTS, in general, are well known 

 and widely diffused. Many of them, as the Beet, Carrot, 

 and Parsnip, contain a large portion of saccharine mat- 

 ter; and from the former sugar is made in sufficient 

 quantities to give it place among articles of commerce. 



542. Many roots arc possessed of aromatic, and at 

 the same time medicinal properties, as the Ginger, Co- 

 lombo, and Sweet-Flog. The two former belong to the 

 tribe of Aromatic Lilies of the East. The plants are 

 cither of a deep glossy green, or of a warm yellowish 



. soft and rich as velvet; and their flowers, which 

 arc put forth in -rival clusters, arc of the most vivid and 

 intense colors. The root of Ginger, it is hardly 

 wiry to say, is largely employed as a spice, and also pre- 

 served in sugar as a sweetmeat, and used to flavor other 

 sweetmeats. f 



543. Of the violet-colored bark on the roots of 

 Guenbc, a climber of La Plata, a kind of rough cordage 

 is made, which is much employed in local navigation. It 

 will not bear friction like hempen ropes ; but it is cheap, 

 and serves a very good purpose. 



."ill. The Article known in commerce as Ma<M 

 the prepared root of Kubia-tinctoria. Madder contains 

 1 di.-tinct principles of wholly different composit i- .n, 



and affording different dyes, the chief or characteristic 

 color being red, which, with different MORDANTS, or the 

 substances that bind or .-/ the color.! --How, 



orange, brown, or purple. The colors from Madder 

 are among the most permanent This 



plant is cultivated in France and Belgium. Alkanct is 

 the root of Anchusa tinctoria, a native of Southern 

 Europe, A kind of reddish dye is extracted from it, 

 which was formerly used for staining the face ; and hence 

 the origin of its name, which signifies a rouge-pot. Its 

 coloring matter being resinous, is readily impan 

 oils and alcohol; and hence it is used to color lip-salvc 

 and stain marbles. Turmeric is the root of Curcuma 

 longa. It yields a fine yellow powder, which is used as 

 a dye, and also in medicine, and the composition of eurry 

 powder. Paper stained with Turmeric is employed as a 

 test of the presence of alkaline substances, by which its 

 yellow color is changed to brown. The roots of many 

 plants are rich in medicinal properties; and hence the 

 Materia Mcdica draws largely on this part of the vege- 

 table body. 



USES OF THE STEM. 



545. The first uses of the stem of plants, as manifested 

 in the trunk of trees, are those of fuel and for building; 

 but the purposes to which wood may be applied are in- 

 numerable. The most esteemed of ornamental woods 

 are the Mahogany, a native of tropical America and 

 Australia, Ebony, Black Oak and Black Walnut, Curled 

 and Bird's-eye Maple, Cherry, and Birch. There are 

 three varieties of Ebony, red, black, and green, the latter 

 being used for coloring. The Ebony is a beautiful tree, 

 native of Madagascar and Ceylon. 



546. The Bamboo is an arborescent Gra<>. its jointed 

 stems ofUjn growing to the height of seventy or eighty 

 feet; and with its light and graceful foliage waving in 

 the air, and its slender stems swaying with every ' 



it has altogether a character of beauty which nothi 



I. Its uses, too, are numerous and important. 

 From the' lightness and durability of its wood, it fur- 

 ni-hc.- an excellent material for many purposes. In (he 

 indies, where it grows abundantly, forming large 

 jungles, it is used extensively iii building housc^, which 

 will sometimes last a hundred years. Its tender stalks 

 are boiled, and eaten as Asparagus; the small stems arc 

 used f' llutcs, and umbrella sticks, and in the 



manufacture of chair-scats, sofas, and various articles of 

 furniture. Cane is also used for boat-masts, earn 

 boxes, and fences; paper is made from its macerated 

 stalks ; and it is converted into innumerable articles of 

 use, ornament, or luxury. 



