THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1887. 
The origin of this plant is uncertain. It is generally 
cultivaied in Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador 
as a nutritious food plant. De Candolle staes that 
" the species is probably indigenous in the region 
where it is cultivated, but I do not find in any author 
a positive assertion of the fact. The existing descrip- 
tions are drawn from cultivated specimens." 
S' The best information about the cultivation of this 
plant was given by Dr. Bancroft to Sir "William 
Hooker, and may be found in the Botanical Mugazine, 
tab. 3,092. A. P. de Oandolle published iu La 5° 
Notice sur les Plantcs Hares des Jardin Bot. de Geneoe 
an illustration showing the principal bulb." 
From notes supplied to Kew in October 1882 by Mr. 
D. Morris, who had cultivated the Arracacha at Jamaica, 
we find that it is propagated either from seed or 
from " sets," the latter being off shoots from the 
main stem, which are freely produced, and grow 
with great facility. The valuable part of the plant 
is the root. During growth this gives rise to a 
number of small tubers or "fingers," eight or ten in 
number. The largest are from 8 to 9 inches in length, 
and about 2 inches in diameter. They are yellow or 
white iu colour, with a smooth surface, and marked, 
like the carrot, with transverse scars. At Bogota, the 
main root is styled the madre, while the young edible 
tubercles or fingers are called hijos (or sons). 
The younger fingers are considered the best, the 
older ones being fibrous and strongly flavored. 
The plant grows in almost any soil ; it prefers, 
however, rich cool hollows, and in such situations 
is most prolific. It will even grow iu stiff clay soils, 
as well as in those of a light sandy character, but 
under such circumstances the yield is not so great. 
At the Government Cinchona Plantation, Jamaica, 
it is planted in ridges, like potatoes, about a foot or 
18 inches apart. 
The first crop takes from eight to ten months to 
mature ; but being perenuial, fresh shoots are continu- 
ally thrown out, which give a succession of crops for 
several years. It would, however, be better to plant 
fresh " sets " at the beginning of every rainy season, 
and so secure a constant supply of young fingers. 
To prepare Arracacha for the table, the roots are 
first scraped and then boiled ; a little salt should be 
added; and if the roots are not quite young it is custom- 
ary to change the water once or twice. After being 
boiled, they may be grated and employed as an ingredi- 
ent for thickening soup ; or better still, mashed, mixed 
with pepper, salt, and a little butter, they form a most 
palatable dish. 
Dr. Bancroft describes the following method of cul- 
tivating tiis plant at Bogota :— After separating the 
upper tubers, or knobs from the root, detach from 
these the offsets, singly, each with its portion o£ the sub- 
stance of the tuber, which is then to be pared smoothly 
all round at the bottom, the outer leaves being strip- 
ped or cut off, so as to leave a sprout from half to 
two or three inches at the most. If any germs or eyes 
be seen at the base of the offsets, these must be care- 
fully cut out. Thus prepared, the shoots are planted 
in loose mould, in a slanting directions at distances 
of 15 or 18 inches from each other, whether the ground 
be level or sloping. Afterwards, at intervals of about 
two months, the soil ought to be weeded ; and when 
the plants have attained the height of 10 or 12 inches, 
or whenever tbey show a disposition to blossom, the 
budding tips should be taken off, as the process of 
flowering would hinder the root from coming to its 
greatest size, care being taken not to remove more 
than the budding extremities, lest the growth of the 
root should thereby also suffer ; with the same view, 
any luxuriance in the shoots ought to be prevouted 
.since it must be at the expense of the root. Prom 
time to time, and particularly after weeding the ground, 
fresh mould should be laid round the foot of each plant, 
to aid likewise in the enlargement of the root. 
Prom a letter addressed to the British Consul-General 
at Bogota by Mr. Henry Buvchall in 1878, it is gathered 
that Arracacha requires from 10 to 12 mouths to 
reach maturity, but the tubers may be gathered two 
months earlier if much wanted. Iu this case the pro- 
duce is el course ouiallcr, but it is said to bo equally 
wholesome and agreeable to the taste. Mr. Burchall 
mentions that old or central portions of the root are 
never planted a second time, as they produce the macho, 
or a flowering stalk, and not edible roots. If seed 
is used instead of " sets " it would take two or three 
seasons before the plants attain their full growth. 
With ripe " sets," as mentioned above, the mature 
crop is reaped in 10 to 12 months. 
A full account of the Arracacha is given by Diaz 
in El Agricultor Veaezduao, from which we take 
the following notes : — 
" The Arracacha is indigenous to Venezuela and New 
Granada, and belongs to the family of Umbelliferae. 
" Botanists have distinguished it by the name of Arraca- 
cha esculenta, preserving thus its primitive Indian de- 
nomination, and it was the first Spanish Colonist who 
called it Apio, generalising this name in such a fashion 
that many Venezuelans ido not now know what the 
Arracacha is. 
" It is raised generally from division of the crown or 
root-stock, provided with buds or shoots, and also from 
the seed, though less advantageously from the latter. 
" If it be requisite to raise from seed, a seed-plot 
must be prepared and care taken that there is no lack 
of watering ; the young plants must also be thinned 
out where very crowded. "When it is time for trans- 
planting the seedlings, no more plants should be taken 
up than can be planted within the time, and they 
should be put meanwhile into water so that the roots 
are kept wet and thus unite better with the soil. 
The proper temperature is that of the cool zone at a 
height of 2,000 varas (yards), and the soil requires 
to be light, containing plenty of leaf-mould (humus) 
and well worked, as is necessary for all tuberous plants 
grown for their roots. It can be cultivated down to 
500 varas (yards) but to little advantage, results improv- 
ing gradually with the ascent from that level. 
"The proper season in natural non-irrigated lands 
is in the two springs of May and October, but in 
irrigated and highly cultivated ones sowing or plant- 
ing can be done at any time, the plant being kept 
well weeded, watered, and earthed up like garden 
plants. If three months after planting they are tied 
up like endive, the shoots become blanched, and can be 
employed as salad or be stewed. 
"The ordinary use which we make of the Arracacha, 
which we call also apio, is to boil it r use it for forced 
meats or fritters. This root yields a large quantity 
of starch, and is preferred to " sulu " for the sustenance 
of invalids. It is in season at the fourth mouth. 
"The Arracacha requires a black soil, light and 
deep, which favours the development of the roots. 
To propagate it it is cut in pieces, each with an 
eye or bud, and these are planted separately. After 
three or four months growth the roots are sufficiently 
developed for use iu the kitchen ; if left in the 
ground for a longer period, they acquire greater 
volume without depreciation of flavour. 
" The colour is white yellow or purple, but these 
variations do not affect the quality. Tue Arracacha 
which is most esteemed is produced in Lipacon, a 
small town situated two leagues north of Santa Fe 
de Bogota. 
"The Arracachas, like potatoes, do not thrive in 
very warm localities, in such places they form much 
leafage, but the roots are poor and insipid ; in the 
temperate reigions the produce is regular, but in- 
creases considerably in the cooler parts of Columbia, 
in which the medium temperature is 58° to 60° 
Fahr., equal to 12 s Reaumur and 15° Centigrade. 
It is there that the root develops best and acquires 
the most delicious taste. 
" The flavour is agreeable and slightly sweet ; the 
odour is peculiar, to some people very pleasant but 
very repugnant to others. Amongst animals this 
repugnance to the smell is not remarked ; on the 
contrary, it appears to be exceedingly agreeable to 
them and to excite their appetite, since immediately 
they smell it they show a lively desire to eat, and 
all devour it with avidity and eagerly seek it. I 
have observed that auimals can consume large quantities 
of the Arracacha in their daily ration of food without, 
iu a single, case, the least repuguauce being remarked. 
