358 JOUENAL OF THE EOYAL HOKTIC ULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



the confusion which existed in many minds between the yantia or tanier 

 of tropical America and the taro of the Caribbean region. 



Both belong to the family of the Aracece, of little value as a whole to 

 agriculture, but containing the important tribe Golocasice, which includes 

 the taro (Caladium) of Polynesia, the alocasias of the Orient, and the 

 West Indian genus Xanthosoma, which embraces the varieties known as 

 the taniers, tamiras, cocoes, or eddoes, in the British West Indies, as 

 "taye" in the French West Indies, and as " yantia" or " malanga " in 

 the Spanish Antilles. 



Yantia was the name given to the plant by the Arawaks at the time 

 of the arrival of the Spaniards. It is probably the oldest cultivated crop 

 in the world, and it has lost the power of reproduction by seed under 

 cultivation. This condition is shared in a much less degree by the yam, 

 banana, and sweet potato, and goes far to prove its antiquity. 



There are numerous varieties (fifteen in Porto Rico), which belong 

 to three species : Xanthosoma sagittcefolium, X. atrovirens, and X. 

 violacetim. The varieties are extraordinarily local. Cultivation extends 

 between Southern Mexico and Southern Brazil. 



The yantia is native to tropical America, and scarcely known outside 

 this district. The experiment station of Porto Rico is distributing it 

 to other parts of the world, including Manila, Singapore, Queensland, 

 Lagos, and the Gold Coast of West Africa. 



Some of the wild varieties (which are not eaten) contain raphides 

 (crystals of calcium oxalate) in large quantities in the "madre" or lower 

 portion of the stem. This fact is turned to account by the natives, 

 who use the juice to kill grubs in sores on cattle and horses. 



The tuberous offsets of the rootstock are principally eaten, though in 

 times of scarcity the " madre " is also used, but it is fibrous and hard. 

 The leaves are boiled and eaten as spinach. The tubers, which are red, 

 white, or yellow, also produce starch and flour. The starch is probably 

 as good as that made from cassava, while the flour is better, being entirely 

 free from hydrocyanic acid. 



"Rolliza" is the best variety, both as regards earliness and pro- 

 ductiveness. 



The plant is propagated by cutting off the top or " head," which 

 produces a strong, clean growth. The tubers or any part of the rhizome 

 with eyes may be used, but these are more liable to throw up suckers, 

 and to be weak. 



Whatever the conditions of its cultivation, a crop of tubers is certain, 

 but, like all aroids, it requires a certain amount of moisture. Being easy 

 to cultivate, adaptable to various conditions, and very productive, the 

 yantia may be considered superior to either the yam or the sweet potato. 

 Its normal price is a little less than the former, but nearly double that 

 of the latter. 



The bulletin is well illustrated, and recipes for cooking the yantia 

 are given at the end. — C. H. G. 



Yucca gliatemalensis.— By W. B. Hemsley (Bot. Mag. tab. 7997). 

 Nat. ord. Liliacece, tribe Dracanece ; Central America. A tree 40 ft. high, 

 6 ft. in girth. Flowers white, or tinged with yellow, 3 in. diam. — G. H. 



