THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 55 



A BRAZILIAN PRODUCT. 



The plant is a Brazilian product, introduced several years ago 

 in Florida to take the place of corn that could not be grown 

 there with any great profit. Its growth has not yet assumed 

 any great proportions in Baldwin County. In fact it has just 

 been introduced by Dr. Foley within the past two years. It is 

 a delicate plant, one that requires the same sort of climate 

 and the same sort of weather as does the tomato plant. 



Cassava is widely used for human food, too. Much of the 

 commercial tapioca is made of cassava. Cassava grown in 

 Baldwin County is made into pies all the year around. On 

 its first eating a cassava pie is mistaken for a coaconut cus- 

 tard. 



The United States Department of Agriculture is encourag- 

 ing the making of starch from cassava. Experiments by the 

 department have shown that cassava yields 25 per cent, of its 

 own weight in starch. The same bulletin from the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture decares that "doubtless pork can be pro- 

 duced on les's cost from cassava than from any other source." 

 The bulletin declares, however, that it is the experience of the 

 experiment stations that cassava cannot be successfully grown 

 in a climate that has not at least eight months absolutely free 

 from frost. 



Dr. Foley is of the opinion that the southern portion of 

 Baldwin County is as fine a field for the growing of cassava 

 as any part of Florida. He expects to see the day when there 

 will be cassava mills for the manufacture of starch, glucose 

 and other products of the plant as there are today in Florida. 



While the five acre field of cassava is the distinct feature 

 of the Foley Model Farm Dr. Foley and his manager John C. 

 Lehr are almost equally proud of land upon which they raised 

 during the present year three different crops. They point with 

 especial pride to two acres from which they gathered from 

 the first crop enough potatoes to sell for 211.44. The land was 

 then planted in cow peas for the production of cow pea hay. It 

 i? said to have produced nearly two tons of this hay to the acre. 

 One of the two acres was then planted again in Irish potatoes 

 and the other was planted in sweet potatoes. A generous 

 crop of each was grown. Just how much the last crop will 

 amount to cannot be estimated as both the Irish and the sweet 

 potatoes are still' in the ground and are being dug as they are 

 needed for sale or use. 



