ARROW-ROOT 



BANANA 



199 



ARROW-ROOT. Fig. 284. 

 By S. M. Tracy. 



Arrow-root starch is a product manufactured 

 from the underground parts of a number of differ- 

 ent plants grown in tropical and subtropical coun- 

 tries. It is valued principally as a food for invalids, 

 especially in cases of persistent diarrhea and 

 dysentery. In South Africa and the East Indies, 

 Maranta arundinacea (Fig. 284) is the plant most 

 commonly cultivated for this purpose. This is much 

 grown in the Bermuda islands, and therefore is 

 commonly known as Bermuda arrow-root. In Aus- 

 tralia, Maranta nobilis, Manihot utilissima (cassava) 

 and several species of Canna, — C Achiras, C. 

 glauca, G. edulis, and others, — are used for the 

 same purpose, and C flaceida, a native of the south- 

 ern part of the United States, is one of the 

 most profitable species. Recent experiments show 

 that the common canna used in this country for 

 decorative purposes {C. Indiea, Indian shot) can 

 be made a profitable source of arrow-root in all the 

 southern states. In the Pacific islands, especially 

 in Guam, the Hawaiian islands and the Philippines, 

 Tacea pinnatifida, a plant belonging to the Taccaceas 

 and closely related to the yams, is more commonly 

 used, and to a considerable extent also in India. 

 Both the marantas and the cannas have fleshy rhi- 

 zomes, while the cassava and the tacca have fleshy 

 roots resembling sweet-potatoes. Cassava starch is 

 considered the best for laundry purposes and is 

 much used by manufacturers of linen goods. Some 

 varieties of this plant received recently from 

 Colombia, South America, yield as much as 39 per 

 cent of their weight as starch. 



Manufacture. — From whatever source the arrow- 

 root may be derived, the process of manufacture is 

 practically the same. The fresh roots are washed 

 and are then grated to a fine pulp. This pulp is 

 diluted with water and repeatedly strained, diluted 

 and settled to remove all fibrous material, and also 

 to extract the coloring matter and a bitter principle 

 which is more or less prominent in all the roots 

 used in the manufacture of the starch. The com- 

 mercial value of the arrowroot is largely depen- 

 dent on the number of washings, as each successive 

 washing renders the starch whiter, more palatable 

 and more easily digested, though it is said that the 

 darker-colored product which has been given fewer 

 washings is more effective when used for the cura- 

 tive treatment of dysentery. 



Arrow-root starch is not now produced in the 

 United States, but a starch made from cassava 

 (Manihot utilissima) is used very largely as a 

 substitute, and appears to be more valuable. 

 Cassava is grown extensively in Florida, and its 

 cultivation is extending westward along the gulf 

 coast to Texas. 



The following notes on Bermuda arrow-root are 

 by T. J. Harris, Superintendent of Public Gardens, 

 Hamilton, Bermuda : 



"The commercial value of the arrow-root de- 

 pends largely on the soil and climate in which it is 

 grown and the care bestowed on its manufacture. 

 The St. Vincent product is sold for 2id. per pound, 



Fig. 284. Bermuda arrow -root 

 shoots {Maranta arundinacea). 



while Bermuda arrow-root brings Is. 9d. per pound 

 in the open market. It is of special value as food 

 for invalids, as it contains nothing whatever of & 

 deleterious nature. Dissolved and injected with 

 laudanum, it is a specific for 

 extreme cases of dysentery. In 

 Bermuda, every care is taken to 

 ensure absolute cleanliness, the 

 natural conditions aiding in this 

 respect: the soil in 

 which the rhizomes 

 are grown is a red, 

 sandy loam derived 

 from coral rock, and 

 is quite devoid of 

 volcanic mineral 

 substances; the per- 

 petually damp at- 

 mosphere ensures 

 the gradual and 

 even deposition of 

 each successive 

 layer on the starch 

 granule ; the water 

 used in the washing 

 is distilled in a dust- 

 less atmosphere and 

 caught on immacu- 

 late lime - washed 

 roofs. • 



"There is but one 

 factory in Bermuda, 

 working on a capital of £3,000 and paying about 

 10 per cent per annum. 



" An acre of arrow-root in Bermuda will yield in 

 a fair season about 14,000 pounds of rhizomes, 15 

 per cent of which is recovered as dried starch." 



BANANA-GROWING IN AMERICAN 

 TROPICS. Figs. 285, 286. 



By G. N. Collins. 



The rapidly attained popularity of the banana 

 in the United States offers a striking example 

 of a recent addition to our traditional list of 

 foods. Thirty years ago the banana was practi- 

 cally unknown outside the tropics, yet to-day it 

 must be classed as one of our staple articles of 

 diet. This rapid growth in favor is doubtless 

 due to the peculiar character of the fruit, which 

 is entirely unlike any of the temperate and sub- 

 tropical products in use previously. It is, perhaps, 

 the best adapted of fruits for handling in large 

 quantities. One stroke of the machete gathers 75 

 to 150 individual bananas, compactly united into 

 a cluster convenient for handling, comparable to an 

 entire crate of any of our northern fruits. The 

 structure of the individual fruits is equally con- 

 venient, since they are protected perfectly by a 

 tough skin which is removed readily without the 

 use of any instrument, while the pulp is luscious 

 without being juicy. 



Throughout tropical America the banana is con- 

 sidered a vegetable rather than a fruit. Indeed, as 

 a fruit the banana is taking a relatively more im- 



