Cassava Tapioca Redwood. 1 03 



Like the other parts of the plant, these contain an 

 acrid, milky juice, so poisonous as to cause death 

 in a few minutes ; but, as this is owing to the 

 presence of a poisonous acid which is quickly 

 driven out by heat, the juice, thickened by boil- 

 ing, forms an excellent sauce called cassa-reep. 



32. This is highly esteemed in Guiana, where it is 

 used to flavor almost every dish, and it is even imported 

 into Great Britain. 



33. The root, grated or pounded into pulp, 

 after yielding this deadly juice by pressure, is 

 dried, and forms the well-known cassava-bread ; 

 or else, heated and stirred on metal plates, it 

 forms the well-known tapioca, which is sold in 

 our stores, and served up in our restaurants 

 and in our families as tapioca pudding, which 

 perhaps some in this class have eaten. Thus 

 life or death comes to us from this plant, ac- 

 cording to our knowing how to use it. 



34. In the size of plants there is wonderful 

 variety. There are some plants so small that we 

 only know of their existence by their changing 

 the color of the rocks and stones on which they 

 grow. To see their stems and leaves it is neces- 

 sary to use the microscope. 



35. From these small specimens, plants 

 vary in size up to the giant trees of Cali- 

 fornia, that stand 90 or 100 feet in girth and 

 tower up to the height of 300 or 400 feet 



