XII JALAP 239 



to the sun, or they will lose their vitality, and they should be 

 planted out as soon as possible after they have been dug out 

 of the ground. 



Cultivation. — The land should be well tilled and trenched TrenchuiR. 

 to the depth of two feet. The trenches may then with ad- 

 vantage be partially filled with compost or farm-yard manure, 

 which should be covered with surface soil. The tubercules 

 are planted, in the trenches, one foot apart and to the depth 

 of about six inches. When the vines grow, stakes must be 

 firmly fixed in the ground for them to run on, in fact the 

 creeper is treated in the same manner as are yams or green 

 peas. After the plants have made some growth they should Weeding, 

 be moulded up with earth taken out of the trench, and 

 weeding is done at intervals so as to keep the land free 

 from weeds. 



Crops. — At the third year a return may be expected, and Returns. 

 it is found in India that at least 1,000 lbs. of dry tubercules 

 can be gathered from an acre under jalap cultivation, and 

 crops may be reaped at every third year thereafter. It is 

 advisable, however, to lift two or three plots one year, whilst 

 others are left undisturbed until the following year, and so 

 on. In this manner crops will be got every year, and there Howtoob- 

 will be less difficulty in preparing the product for the mar- cropZ^^'^ ^ 

 kets, as there will be fewer tubercules to dry at a given time. 

 The drying process is a difficult and trying one, for 70 per Drying 

 cent, of the weight has to be evaporated ; and it frequently 

 happens when the tubercules are dried in the sun, that there 

 is a considerable loss on account of some becoming mouldy Mouldiness 

 and others becoming subjects of fermentation. This loss may ^"tlon"^"^^" 

 be prevented to a great extent by gashing the tubercules, or 

 by cutting them up into slices, but jalap prepared in this way 

 fetches a lower price in the English and American markets. 

 The American evaporator answers very well, but too much 

 heat is to be avoided as it spoils the product. The Indians The Mexi- 



^ ^ can method 



of Mexico prepare jalap in the following way : — The tuber- of drying. 



