438 



THE UNIVERSE. 



On one spot bloom friendly flowers, the folds of which 

 only distil a perfumed nectar that the bee transforms into 



238. Tlie Tapioca Plant— il/Biu7(0( iitilissima (Folil). 



to extract from the starchy root of the niauioc the nourishing food so often 

 . served up at our tables under the name of tapioca. 



It is composed of tolerably pure fecul.a, which is collected with oai-e, but the 

 farina of manioc, on which so many of the American races feed, is coarser. All 

 thej' do ill order to extract it is to press the roots of the plant ; the result of 

 which is a mixture of starch, vegetable fibre, and extractive matter. It is after- 

 wards dried in chimneys, and when desiccation is sufficiently advanced, it is 

 powdered and bread is made of the fiour it yields. 



