72 botanical gazette. [March, 



from the soil. After careful sampling and cleaning a suffi- 

 cient quantity of the roots was cut into thin slices and thor- 

 oughly dried. In a definite weighed portion, sampled as 

 carefully as possible, the percentage of moisture was de- 

 termined. The dried and powdered roots were preserved 

 for future analysis. Owing to a press of other matter this 

 analysis was not made until the latter part of July and the 

 first of August, 1888. Mr. Burr, in forwarding the roots, 

 sent the following information concerning them : 



" The roots do not last long after digging, drying up or rotting. Since 

 this variety of cassava is not the bitter or poisonous kind, it is generally 

 known in Florida as the sweet cassava. The roots are fed to all kinds of 

 stock in a fresh state and are greatly relished. It has been sufficiently 

 tested here to show its great value as stock food. The yield, under fa- 

 vorable conditions, is astonishing. I have recently dug one plant of 

 one year's growth which weighed fifty pounds, being at the rate of more 

 than 1,500 bushels to the acre. Eight hundred to one thousand bushels 

 per acre can be confidently reckoned on." 



The roots received by us were long and slender and of 

 various sizes; some of them were quite two feet long and 

 weighed several pounds. The bark, which contains a pois- 

 onous principle if any be present, was carefully scraped off 

 and has been preserved for subsequent examination. The 

 analysis of the sample calculated to dry substance, is given 

 in the following table : 



Serial No 5547 



5f, ;•••;*•: ; 1.94 percent. 



Oil (petroleum ether extract).... 1.27 " 



Ether extract (glucosides, alkaloids, organic acids' 



etc.) 74 



Alcohol extract (amids. sugars, resins, etc.).."!.. .... 1743 " 



Crude fibre ' 4Q3 « 



Starch % 71 85 



Albuminoids (calculated from nit^gen)V.!..'.!..\'!. 3.47 





1 00.73 



In regard to the method of analysis little need be said ; 

 it was earned on in accordance with the well-established 

 rules of plant analysis as laid down bv Dragendorff. The first 

 extraction of petroleum ether gave the fat or oil alone, and 

 the subsequent extraction with sulphuric ether gave the glu- 

 cosides, alkaloids and organic acids. That portion of nitro- 

 gen existing as amids has been estimated in the alcoholic 

 exti act. 1 he total nitrogen was also estimated and entered 

 as albuminoids; a small portion of the nitrogen has thus 

 I'" c r ^ nte l tv Y lce ln the total results which add up a little 



?hn«n^\i 1 Charactensllc feat*"* of the cassava root is 

 »nown in the large amount of substance present soluble in 



