278 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



The burst- 

 ing of the 

 grains. 



The value 



deposited. The juice is poured off, and the starch is heated 

 on tin plates or in flat iron pans ; the starch grains then 

 swell up and burst, and become agglutinated together, thus 

 forming the tapioca of commerce — which is a large export 

 from Brazil. The starch grains having been ruptured by 

 aS!°'^^^'^ the heat, they are partly soluble in water, and for this reason 

 tapioca is especially valuable as food in cases of weak diges- 

 tion. 



Cassareep. — The poisonous juice of the tubers of the 

 bitter variety of the cassava plant should not be thrown away 

 as it can be converted into a valuable product known widely 

 as cassareep. The juice is simply boiled down until it 

 becomes of the consistence and appearance of molasses. In 

 this condition it is a powerful antiseptic, and it is capable of 

 preserving all kinds of meat in a fresh condition for con- 

 siderable periods. It is the basis of many celebrated sauces, 

 and of the w^WkxiOwn pepper-pot of the West Indies. Thus 

 by reason of the boiling process, this highly poisonous juice 

 is converted into a wholesome food product, for which there 

 is usually a ready sale in England and elsewhere. As the 

 juice of the bitter cassava contains so much of the poisonous 

 prussic acid, the greatest care must be taken to keep it 

 away from children and animals. Many deaths have been 

 brought about by carelessness in the disposal of the juice, 

 so that too many precautions cannot be taken to prevent 

 accidents. It may be mentioned that the Indians of Guiana 

 use red peppers (Chillies) steeped in rum as an antidote to 

 the poison. 



The poison- 

 ous juice 

 boiled down. 



Antiseptic 

 qualities of 

 cassareep. 



Dangerous 

 nature of 

 ihe poison. 



Antidote. 



Habitat. 



Arrowroot. Mara?ifa arimdinacea. 



Arrowroot is a white, tasteless and odourless powdery 

 substance — consisting of starch granules, and used as a 

 bland article of food, more especially for children and 

 invalids. It is obtained from the white, fleshy rhizomes — 

 sometimes called tubers— of a rced-likc herbaceous plant 



