OA.SSAVA. 369 



deposited, and when repeatedly washed and dried in the sun, forms 

 cassava flour, called " Moussache " by the French. 



The juice of the bitter cassava, mixed with molasses and fer- 

 mented, has been made into an intoxicating liquor, which is much 

 relished by the negroes and Indians. 



The concentrated juice of the bitter cassava, under the name of 

 cassareep, forms the basis of the West India dish, " pepper pot." 

 One of its most remarkable properties is its highly antiseptic 

 power, preserving meat that has been boiled in it for a much longer 

 period than can be done by any other culinary process. Cassareep 

 Was originally an Indian preparation. 



The manioc or cassava is cultivated in America, on both sides 

 of the equator, to about latitude 30 degrees north and south. 

 Among the mountains of intertropical America, it reaches to an 

 elevation of 3,200 feet. It is cultivated also in great abundance 

 on the island of Zanzibar, and among the negro tribes of Eastern 

 Africa to the Monomoesy, inclusive ; on the west coast of Africa, 

 in Congo and Gruinea. It appears not to have been introduced 

 into Asia. The farina of the manioc is almost the only kind of 

 nieal used in Brazil, at least in the north, near the equator. An 

 acre of manioc is said to yield as much nutriment as six acrea 

 of wheat. Meyen states, " It is not possible sufficiently to praise 

 the beautiful manioc plant." The Indians find in this a compen- 

 sation for the rice and other cerealia of the Old World. It has 

 been carried from Brazil to the Mauritius and Madagascar. 



The following quantities of Brazilian arrowroot, or tapioca, were 

 imported in the undermentioned years : 



Cwts. 



1833 942 



1834 888 



1835 1,663 



1836 3,735 



1837 2,142 



Cwts. 



1838 462 



1839 402 



1840 983 



1841 1,870 



1843 2,325 



St. Lucia grows a considerable quantity of manioc ; it exported 

 of cassava flour in 



Barrels. 



1827 8 



1828 814 



1829 279 



Barrels. 



1830 99 



1831 59 



1834 , . 713 



The cassava root grows abundantly in most of the West India 

 islands and tropical America ; the trouble of planting is incon- 

 siderable, and the profit arising from its manufacture, even by the 

 common process of hand-grating, is immense. I should be glad 

 if I could induce the enterprising of our colonial settlers to give 

 this a fair trial, as well as encourage the present growers to 

 increase their crops and improve the quality of the article, so as 

 to render it suitable for the English market. The manufacture 

 of starch will one of these days become a productive source of 

 colonial wealth. Since cassava was first grown in the West, its 

 capabilities as a starch-producer have, to a certain extent, been 

 known, and for that purpose it has been in limited use. 



2 B 



