INDIAN UTILISATION 



COLOCABIA 



ANTIQUORUM 



Kachu 



Propagation. 



IM. viz. i/ MI </</ /<!. the tar-kochu, which frequent* aquatic 

 tioiiH and produces conns that attain the length and thickness of a man's 

 ler (in DC., Monog. Phaner., ii., 491) refers the forms of '. MIMOI-" 

 seven varieties, three of which are met with in India. Duthie and Fuller say 

 it t u 11 varieties appear to be grown and distinguished by their roote, viz. dholi 

 tho white- and k&li ki gagli, the dark-coloured. The word gagli, they 

 i -; st n. 1 1 y to the young off-sets, the main root being known as dendu. 

 holls (/.<. _".!_') says that there are two principal varieties, one with green 

 mil leaves and the other with purplish ones, but that the tubers are 

 in both kinds. Numerous vernacular names are given to culti- 

 [ races of this plant all over India, but in the present state of knowledge 

 is impossible to assign them any more distinctive positions than those 

 iicated above. 



Cultivation. The following account of the method of propagation Soils. 

 i ;lly adopted is given by Nicholls : " The best soil is a sandy loam 

 ith an abundance of organic matter in it. The plant does not do so 

 on clayey soils, and it does not thrive on pure sands. . . . The 

 nits are propagated in the same way as are yams. That is, when 

 crops are reaped, the head of the tuberous rhizome is cut off and the 

 ives are detached, leaving a few inches of the lower part of the leaf- 

 ilks. These heads are then planted, and soon a number of plants bud 

 th from the top of the head and produce a crop of tanios. The heads 

 be kept some time before planting without suffering any harm, and 

 lus they may be carried to long distances." Nicholls also observes that 

 le tubers may be left in the ground without deterioration for a consider- 

 jle time after they are ripe, so that they can be dug up as they are required, 

 jllison, speaking of Bombay, says that the crop is rarely grown over Bombay, 

 large area. Patches are raised in the back yards of houses, and in 

 garden lands of Gujarat it is common to find a patch near a well, with 

 ;le plants at the corners of beds of other irrigated crops. " When 

 >wn alone," he continues, " the land is carefully prepared as for other 

 len crops, and laid out into beds 12 feet by 6 feet for irrigation. Forty 

 ints occupy each bed. The crop should be freely manured and watered, 



weeded as required. Off-sets should be removed before they root, off-sets, 

 less it is desired that the whole surface should be covered with plants. 

 is is, perhaps, advisable when the crop is grown under sewage irrigation 

 >r the value of its leaves and leaf-stalks. If grown for its conns, the plants 

 lould be 12 inches apart. It takes ten months for the conn to reach 

 iturity. When the crop is planted four or five months, the leaves and 

 ilks may be gathered every three or four days. They should be cut off 

 ae to the ground whilst young and tender. A few older leaves should 

 Iways be left to preserve healthy, vigorous growth." Duthie and Fuller 

 ite that in the Cawnpore district the average outturn is only 50 maunds 

 than 2,000 Ib.) per acre. In Coimbatore, however, the yield has been 

 jrded as 6,250 Ib. per acre. 



Utilisation. The corms contain much starch and constitute an important 

 ticle of food throughout the country, especially with the lower classes, and in 

 i districts, such as Travoncore, the corms are of very special value. They are 

 ly scraped or partially peeled, cut up into small pieces, and boiled like pota- 

 After boiling, the soft pieces are often fried in butter (ghi) or oil and the 

 Native condiments added. Sometimes also they are pounded into a paste, 

 in New Guinea they are said to be ground into flour and made into biscuits, 

 ickle prepared from the main root (dendu) with chillies, salt and lime-juice is 

 Id in the bazars. The bazar rate for the vegetable is said to be about 1 maunds 

 one rupee. Mollison observes that the stalks and leaves are cooked either 

 irat * -1 v or together. If separately, the fibrous cuticle of the stalk is removed 

 the inner part cut into short pieces and cooked with condiments and gul. 



399 



Cawnpore. 

 Madras. 



Uses. 

 Food. 



Leaves and 

 SUlks. 



