472 [Assembly 



food suited to our habits, soils, climate, &c. However, our farm- 

 ers will favorably consider the Igname of China (yam), lately in- 

 troduced into France by Consul Montigny, at Cbang-Hai, some 

 four years ago. Mr. Vilmoria has made known his experiments 

 with it, carefully abstaining from high recommendations of it. I 

 approve his caution. But I believe that another year's experience 

 will prove favorable as to its quality, adaptedness to ourclimatej 

 and nutritious character. I have vainly searched for its botani- 

 cal relationship to the numerous species of the ignames cultivated 

 in different countries. It is, however, certainly different from, 

 although very near, the Dioscorea Japonica and .D. Oppositifolia, 



The yam of China is vivacious in its roots, but annual in its 

 stems, &c. Or, to speak more exactly, by its Rhizomes (I wish 

 you would say roots) gorged with starch, slightly milky. The 

 stalks grow about six or seven feet long, cylindrical in shape, and 

 about as large as a good sized quill, of a violet color, with small 

 whitish spots; when let alone the joints will take root with great 

 facility ; leaves shaped much like those of the sweet potatoe ; 

 flowers at every joint, and a small fruit follows. The yam is 

 shaped like the sweet potato, only more slender at its joining 

 with its stalk ; skin colored like milk ccffee {cafe au lait). Nu- 

 merous roots grow out of it; skin very brittle. When cooked 

 (in ten mhiutes) it is tender and mealy like the potato, which 

 takes twenty minutes in cooking. Like a good potato it has no 

 marked taste — is v<'ry white. One plant does sometimes give se- 

 veral roots, but generally only one. We have had roots cf nearly 

 three pounds weight, but generally only four to six ounces each. 

 The roots do some of them attain forty inches in length, but gene- 

 rally twelve or fifteen inches. It is cultivated on a great scale in 

 China, as much so as potatoes are in Europe. The Chinese call 

 them Sain-in. They select the small yams for planting, put them 

 in trenches, cover them with straw, and that with earth. In 

 spring they take them out and lay them iji drills, properly pre- 

 pared. They quickly throw out shoots, which in a month grow 

 six to seven feet long. Then in drills prepared in rich, well, 

 deep tilled Lind, they set cuttings of these stalks or vines, each 

 cutting with its two leaves on, the lcav:c being kept out of ground^ 



