76 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
This receptacle is edible and quite harmless when ripe, having a very agreeable, 
subacid taste in the raw state, and being also stewed or cooked; a distilled liquor, 
said to be of good quality, has also been made from it, and in Porto Ricoit is used 
as an ingredient of a peculiar beverage which has been compared to punch. The 
nut is comparable in size to a rather thick peanut, is kidney-shaped, or distinctly 
curved near the middle, and contains a single large kernel of white, firm flesh of 
fine texture and adeticate, very pleasant, nutty flavor. No attempt should, how- 
ever, be made to eat it in the raw state, on account of the poisonous juice of the shell, 
which must be driven off by the heat, so that roasting is an absolute necessity. 
In the fresh state the kernel also contains a slight amount of the irritant oil and 
has painful effects upon the lips and tongue. 
The process of roasting the nuts is quite simple, but skill and experience are 
required to avoid burning on the one hand and insufficient heating on the other. 
The fumes driven off during the operation are also poisonous, and where cashew 
nuts are roasted in large quantities for export the workers suffer from blistered 
faces and hands, accompanied by painful swellings and other toxic effects of 
inhaling and coming in contact with the poisonous vapors. These difficulties 
might be obviated, it would seem, by a proper arrangement of the roasting ovens 
and by providing a system of drafts for carrying up the fumes. 
After the roasting is completed the nuts are shelled and sorted and packed in 
sealed tin cans for shipment. In this way they keep fresh for a considerable 
period without the necessity of any other preliminary treatment or of the addition 
of preservatives. The trade in cashew nuts isstill very small, but may be expected 
to increase. Mr. David G. Fairchild, agricultural explorer of the United States 
Department of Agriculture, became acquainted with the cashew in Jamaica and 
took a very enthusiastic view of its value and commercial possibilities, as the fol- — 
lowing extract from a letter will show: 
‘*T assure you that there is no nut so delicious as the roasted cashew. Burnt 
almonds are flat in comparison. Huyler could, I believe, make a fine thing of it, 
and a big market could be created. Through William Fawcett, director of the 
gardens here, you can secure a large quantity of seeds for planting, I believe. 
The sooner groves are started the sooner the nuts can be pushed on the market. 
For Porto Rico and Hawaii, I believe, it would be a good thing. This fruit is 
bound to go. Porto Rico, Cuba, and Hawaii should be encouraged and steps be 
taken to secure a collection of the best varieties. Look out for Jamaica as a com- 
petitor. Mr. 8. T. Scharschmidt, of Mandeville, Jamaica, has made an oil from 
the fruit. superior to olive oil for table use. There are wonderful prospects for 
such a fruit. It can be shipped to Boston from here easily without cold storage.”’ 
From a sample sent home the roasted nuts were pronounced excellent by all who 
tasted them. Probably they are better when fresh, though no tendency to become 
rancid was apparent. In British India the cashew has now been introduced 
very generally, and has found a much larger variety of uses than in its native 
home in the West Indies and South America. East Indian information has been 
compiled from numerous sources in Watt’s Economic Products of India, and is, 
with the omission of some repetitions, as follows: 
‘The bark of thisplant yields a gum which occurs in large stalactitic pieces; 
it is yellow or reddish, and only slightly soluble in water. It is obnoxious to 
insects. The astringent juice issuing from injections inthe bark isin demand as 
an ink, and is used by native workmen as a flux for soldering metals. The bark 
may be used for tanning. The pericarp gives an oil called cardol, which is very 
astringent, and is used by the Andamanese to tan or color fishing nets, so as to 
preserve them. Dr. Dymock informs me that this oil is called dik in Goa, where 
it is much used as a tar for boats and nets. 
‘‘From this plant two distinct oils are obtained. (1) The kernels when 
pressed yield a light-yellow bland oil, very nutritious. the finest quality in every 







