376 



HOOT CROPS. 



time for new roots to grow, a continual Buccession of this excellent 

 nutritious food was procured." 



The Aipi grows in Brazil, and according to T. Aslie, may be 

 eaten raw, and, when pressed, yields a pleasant juice for drink ; or 

 being inspissated by the heat of the sun, is kept either to be 

 boiled and eaten, or dissolved and drank. The tapinambar grows 

 in Chili, and is used by the Indians. 



The tapioca, or bay rush, a plant which grows about the out- 

 islands of the Bahamas group, was found of great use as a food 

 plant to the inhabitants of Long Island, during a scarcity of food 

 occasioned by the drought in 1843. This root growls in the form 

 of a large beet, and is from twelve to sixteen inches in length. 

 It is entirely farinaceous, and, when properly ground and pre- 

 pared, makes good bread. It fetches there four to six cents a 

 pound. 



The root of the kooyah plant {Valeriana edtdis) is much used 

 by some of the North American Indians as food. The root is of 

 a very bright yellow color, with a peculiar taste and odor, and 

 hence is called "tobacco root." It is deprived of its strong 

 poisonous qualities by being baked in the ground for about two 

 days. A variety of other roots and tubers furnish them with food. 

 Among these are kamas root {Camassia esculent a) , which is highly 

 esteemed ; the bulb has a sweet pleasant flavor, somewhat of the 

 taste of preserved quince. It is a strikingly handsome bulbous 

 plant, with large beautiful purple flowers. Tampah root {Ane- 

 thum graveolens) is a common article of food with the Indians of 

 the Kocky Mountains, 



The roots of a thistle {Cersium virginianhm, or Oarchms vir- 

 ginianus), which are about the ordinary size of carrots, are also 

 eaten by them. They are sweet and well flavored, but require a 

 long preparation to fit them for use. 



The people of Southern India and Ceylon have for many 

 hundred years been in the habit of eating the bulb or root, 

 which is the first shoot from the Palmyra nut, which forms 

 the germ of the future tree, and is known locally as Pannam 

 kilingoes. It is about the size of a common carrot, though 

 nearly white. It forms a great article of food among the natives 

 for several months in the year; but Europeans dislike 

 it from its being very bitter. Eecent experiments have proved 

 that a farina superior to arrowroot can be obtained from it, pre- 

 pared in the same way ; and 100 roots, costing 2^d., yield one 

 and a-half to two pounds of the flour. 



Prom the boiled inner bark of the Kussian larch, mixed with 

 rye flour, and afterwards buried a few hours in the snow, the hardy 

 Siberian hunters prepare a sort of leaven, with which they supply 

 the place of common leaven when the latter is destroyed, as it 

 frequently is by the intense cold. The bark is nearly as valuable 

 as oak bark. From the inner bark the Eussians manufacture fine 

 white gloves, not inferior to those made of the most delicate 

 chamois, while they are stronger, cooler, and more pleasant for 

 w^earing in the summer. 



