220 VEGETABLES AXD FOOD PRODUCTS 



the " Queensland arrowroot" of commerce. Though not generally 

 so productive as the West Indian arrowroot, it is considered to be 

 one of the best starchy foods for invalids and infants, owing to the 

 larger size of the starch grains and their greater solubility in boil- 

 ing water. The starch is also largely used for laundry purposes. 

 The market price for this product in London ranges from about 

 4d. to 6d. per Ib. The yield is said to vary from 15 to 20 cwt. of 

 the prepared article per acre. According to the Porto Rico 

 Experiment Station Report for 1903, Canna edulis will yield a crop 

 of 15 tons of fresh tubers per acre under favourable conditions. 

 The plant is propagated and cultivated in the same way as the 

 ordinary Arrowroot. In Queensland the rhizomes (tubers) are 

 planted out in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, with a distance of 2 feet 

 between the plants in the row. The crop takes from six to eight 

 months to come to maturity. According to the Queensland Agri- 

 cultural Journal, 9 tons of tubers will yield 1 ton of prepared 

 arrowroot, and a good crop should give about li tons of the latter 

 per acre. (See illustration). 



Cyperus esculentus. (Cyperaceae). "Chufa," Ground-almond, 

 Tiger-nuts. A small perennial grass-like sage, indigenous to South 

 Europe, Western Asia and various parts of Africa. Its small 

 underground tubers are edible and may be cooked and used as a 

 vegetable, having a nutty flavour. Roasted and ground, they are 

 sometimes used for adulterating coffee. They also yield an ex- 

 cellent oil for culinary purposes. When dry, they look like large 

 wrinkled peas. MR. TUDHOPE, Director of Agriculture for the 

 Gold Coast, informs me that the plant is cultivated by the Natives 

 of that country, chiefly in localities adjoining the sea-board, and 

 that the tubers which "are not at all unpleasant to eat," are sold 

 in the local markets. The plant thrives in almost any arid sandy 

 soil, yielding a crop in 4 to 6 months and producing 100 to 150 

 tubers each. This species does not spread or become a trouble- 

 some weed like Cyperus rolundm, the " Kalanduru" of the Sinhalese. 



Dioscorea. (Dioscoraceae). Yams; "Vel-ala" S.; " Kodi- 

 kilengu" T. Different species and varieties of the genus Dioscorea 

 constitute the true Yams, which are climbing plants with large, 

 edible, underground tubers. In Ceylon, however, almost any 

 tuberous plant is called a "yam," as Alocasia (" Habarala"), Manihot 

 ("Manyokka"), etc. The Dioscorea yams are largely cultivated in 

 the West Indies and tropical South America, where they form a 

 .standard article of diet with all classes, the best varieties being 



