54 THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 



in a tropical climate or in a climate very near the tropical, 

 bears a pod and a berry which contains its seed for the next 

 year. But in Baldwin County the seed is not depended upon 

 for the next year's crop. It is feared that frost will come 

 before the seed is fully matured. 



HARVESTING THE CASSAVA. 



The cassava roots are kept in the ground just as they grew 

 until they are needed. The bushes and the roots of the plants 

 are left undisturbed until the succulent roots are needed for 

 stock food. When feed for the horses, the mules, and the 

 cows is needed, the hired man goes out to the cassava fielo 

 and with a sharp sudden pull jerks the plant fro mthe ground. 

 This is done with little effort. 



The amount of roots on a plant is astonishing. It looks iike 

 when a plant is jerked fro mthe ground that a whole bushel 

 of roots come with it. The yield of one plant would indicate 

 that the whole field vmderground was honeycombed with 

 roots'. The roots have a thin covering of brown. The appear- 

 ance of the interior of the root is very like that of a turnip. 

 It is as soft and fully as. juicy when the roots are first taken 

 from the ground. 



In this state the roots are a great delicacy to stock of all 

 sorts. 



If the cassava roots are permitted to remain in the air for 

 several weeks they grow hard and the stock finds them unpal- 

 atable. For this reason the roots are pulled from the ground 

 as they are needed. They are run through a specially designed 

 machine which cuts them into small pieces three or four inches 

 in length. These pieces are gathered up and dumped into the 

 feed trough where they are eaten eagerly by horse, mule, cow 

 or sheep. 



Cassava has' a much higher percentage of strength giving 

 qualities than corn. It is said by its admirers to be the best 

 stock food that can be grown. Conservative men say that its 

 increasing growth in Florida is solving the forage problem 

 m that State, a State where corn and other grain does not grow 

 so well as farther north. It has enthusiastic admirers on the 

 Florida farms. 



