14 
“ ¢ afford, with PE labour, the means of sustaining life under adverse 
& < circumstance 
* A supply of | isi received at Kew from Jamaica was sent in 1883 
“ to Saharunpur, Ootac es and Ceylon, and in 1884 to Calcutta, 
“ for Darjeeling. Mr. Lawson, Director of Government Cinchona 
. eilen a Siia and Girata, Nilgiris, reported in 1884 that plants 
‘* ha d from the tubers sent from Kew. ‘The result in the 
e aher two botanical establishments in India has not reached us. 
“From Ceylon Dr. Trimen has recently at eri he has raised the 
“ Arracacha from seed obtained direct from Jam e appears to 
“ have obtained the tubers without difficulty and in ai dance. Asa 
“& matter of taste, he has a less favourable opinion of them than Mr. 
“ Morris. But the point to hi ch L wish to draw your attention is 
“ that the introduction of the esculent into India is s accomplished, and 
“ that its further diffusion saat present no difficulty.” 
In the Report of the Director of the Botanical Gardens, Ceylon, for 
1884, the Arracacha is mentioned as “an umbelliferous plant, native 
ie probably of the Andes of South America, where it is cultivated up to 
* 6,000 feet, was introduced into Jamaica in 1822, and produces ae 
« edible starchy roots, with the flavour somewhat of rsnip. Two 
ort the roots in a living state into Ceylon fave 
“ proved completely unsuccessful; but Mr. Nock has now succeeded in 
“ raising some young plants rom: seeds sent from Jamaica, which it is 
“ hoped will in time develop the edible portion.” 
In the Report for = ha 1886 it is Stated that 
The Ar 
“ villages at feet or more elevation, in io so of its eating being 
“ taken up uch intere excited in India 
‘ by the successful introduction of this vögoiable in Cey i 
“ Garden at Saharunpur, the Agri rpe „Society of Calcutta, 
“ and the Chief Commissioner of British Bur 
. King, in his — on the Calcutta sia Gardens for the year 
1886, mentions that 
“ A small supply of the tubers of an eatable, umbelliferous plant named 
‘ Arracacha esculenta were sent to this arden from Kew two’ yea 
‘ 
the 
“ are still few in number and too precious to be sacrificed for food, r 
“ have not tasted this new pendis 
the Report of the Superintendent of the Saharunpur Gardens for 
the year 1881, under Arracacha it is rete mh hat— 
“ ‘The seed of this new kind of vegetable was sown in this Garden. 
z < The result is eleven plants; none are sufficiently grown yet to say 
* more of them than that they look quite healthy.” 
In the Report for 1883 it is stated that— 
“ Of the valuable South American vegetable Arracacha there are a 
a pe faci still left, and they are in a fairly ssid condition.” 
a plants are under cultivation at Kew, but it is not possible 
to podia good tubers, owing to the short period during which they can 
