156 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



at a certain depth. The water is kept flowing by constant 

 intake and outtake. 



Taro is planted at distances varying from 30 by 30 inches 

 to 40 by 40 inches. In a study of taro growing carried on by 

 the Hawaii Experiment Station it was found that within cer- 

 tain limits the wider the planting distance the larger the tubers 

 and the higher the yield per acre. Taro tubers mature in 8 to 

 14 months from planting, according to the variety used. The 

 yield varies from 6 to 18 tons of tubers per acre. 



The stems of some varieties are cooked as a green vege- 

 table. The tubers, however, are the product for which taro 

 is raised. These tubers are eaten boiled, like potatoes, or baked 

 in taro cakes, but chiefly in the form of poi. Poi is one of the 

 universal and characteristic food products of the Polynesian 

 race. It is easily prepared from taro by boiling the taro tubers 

 and mashing them with the addition of water into a smooth 

 sticky paste. This material is then eaten fresh or is allowed 

 to ferment. The poi is commonly considered an easy food 

 product to digest. Many white settlers in Hawaii acquire a 

 liking for the product, but it cannot be said to possess an agree- 

 able flavor or appearance. An excellent quality of flour may 

 be prepared from taro tubers by cooking, desiccating, and 

 grinding the material. A considerable business in the sale of 

 taro flour was once worked up by the taro growers of Hawaii, 

 but was later allowed to lapse. Taro tubers may also be 

 shredded in a fresh condition and dried in strands about the 

 size of a lead pencil. This material may then be used as a 

 breakfast food. In that form the product has an agreeable 

 flavor. It requires boiling for at least an hour, however, and 

 changes from a white to a purple color as a result of boiling. 



With the recent introduction of the dasheen, or taro, into 

 Florida, some attention has been given to a method of blanch- 

 ing the shoots of the taro plants. It has been found that they 

 may be readily blanched after which they can be eaten like 

 asparagus. While the name taro is universally applied to these 



