§02 
I'HB THOPICAL 
AdRiCULTtElSt. [Jvm 1, 1&03. 
a little use of it. Mr. Bowman considers that it 
will Boon be carried on the railway at fodder rates. 
He stated that cows which were almost dry from 
want of condition are now not only fat and strong 
but are giving a good yield of milk. Bofctlo-treea 
often contain from 50 to 100 tons of fodder. There 
are plenty of bottle-trees within easy reach o£ the 
railways. BIr. Bowman believes that hundreds of 
stock can be saved wUh it. The trees will keep for 
months in the log with the bark on." The use 
of fanciful names of plants and trees in reports, 
etc., is greatly to be deprecated, as its leads to 
endless oonfi\sion and needless waste of valuable 
time in searching for the plant, or trees, most likely 
to flt the description. In the present instance several 
trees were referred to until it was thought that 
Sterculia {Delabeckea) rupestris ( StercitUacea; J , a nntive 
of north-east Australia, was the one alluded to. 
•' It is allied to the Gouty-stem tree iAdansonia 
Grcgorii), being thickened below, tapering upwards, 
or often swollen in the middle to the extent of 30 
or 40 feet in circumference, with an apparently small 
tree growing out of its apex, so that it has been 
compared to the neck of a bottle. The gouty stem 
is soft and porous, and contains much mucilaginous 
gum, which is readily obtained by pressure, and is 
used as an article of food by the natives. It is also 
called Barrel tree. — Journal of the Agriiultural and 
Horticultural Society of India. 
HINTS AND INFORMATION IN RE- 
GARD TO CASSAVA POISONING. 
(Issiied hi Imperial Department of Agriculture for the 
West Indies.) 
In view of the many cases of poisoning by cassava 
that have recently occurred in the West Indies the 
following information has been prepared in the hope 
that it may be possible to warn those likely to fall 
victims. The hints as to the mode of dealing with 
persons snffexing from cassava poisoning have been 
prepared by an experienced medical man. 
CASSAVA POISONINa. 
There are two kinds of cassava known in the West 
Indies, These are the ' bitter ' and ' sweet ' cassava. 
Both are largely grown and in some localities the 
roots afford an important article of food. The roots 
of the bitter cassava are usually grated and the milky 
juice is washed out, leaving a coarse flour from which 
cassava cakes are made. In Brazil and elsewhere 
cassava flour, known as farine, is eaten cooked or 
heated on plates and made into tapioca. The roots 
of sweet cassava are more commonly eaten as a 
vegetable after they have been boiled or roasted. 
There are so few differences to be observed between 
the plants yielding bitter and sweet cassava that 
children and inexperienced persons may easily take 
one for the other. Usually the peasants are fully 
aware of the distinction between them. It is well 
known that the fresh roots of the bitter cassava 
are poisonous. If eaten raw or in a halfcooked con- 
dition they contain prussic acid, and numerous deaths 
are recorded, every year, in the West Indies due. to 
this cause. The object of this leaflet is to bring pro- 
minently under the cofcicp, especially of the poorer 
olaes, not only the poisonous character of bitter 
cassava, but the fact th;it some kinds of the sweet 
or roasting cassava (especially from old plants) have 
beeB found to be injurious, if not ftilly or properly 
cooked. The record of deaths from cassava poisoning 
in Barbados has been examined for nearly twenty 
years. In one year, viz : 1884, twelve inquests were 
held on persons who had died from cassava poisoning. 
In subsequent years the number of deaths have been 
slightly less, but recently, several deaths have been 
returned due to cassava poisoning. Id two casses 
the agei of the victims (men) were 57 and 45 years 
respeotively. In a laHer casti thtt victim was a. boy of 
9 years. Usually, those that die from cassava 
poisouiDg are ill-fed and neglected children. This is 
a class most difficult to reach unless a special effort 
is made with that view. 
HOW TO TREYBNT CASSAVA POISONING. 
Although the sweet or roasting cassava is not so 
poisonous as the bitter cassava, it would be safer 
to let it be widely known that no kind o/ cassava 
should he eaten without being carefully and thorougkly 
cooked. In prepairing cassava for table, it is im- 
portant to bear in mind that what poison is present 
ties mostly near the outside of the root. It is desira- 
ble, first of all, to ecrape ofl the skin and the outer 
portion of the root so as to remove the greater part 
of this poison. la the second place the roots should 
be carefulUy cooled right through so as to drive off any 
remaining portion of the poison. Farther, it would be 
advisable not to eat cold cassava or cassava that has 
been allowed to stand for some time after being 
cooked. The rules to be followed in preparing cassava, 
of any kind, for table would be as follows :— 
1 Scrape the roots and remove the outside parts. 
2 Oook the cassava well and be sure it is heated 
throughout, 
3. Eat cassava only after it has been freshly cooked. 
WHiT TO DO FOE CASSAVA POISONING. 
If a person after eating cassava feels or looks ill, 
medical aid should be obtained at once without any 
delay. That is to say, the doctor should he called, or 
the patient should be taken to the doctor, or to the 
nearest hospital, dispensary, or almshouse, where 
medical aid can be obtained as soon as possible. A 
few minutes may make all the difference, and no time 
should be lost. The doctor can inject some medicine 
under the skin of the arm which may save the 
patient's life, Therfore lose no time. While waiting 
for the doctor to come, or for the cart or trap to take 
the patient to the doctor, there are several important 
things to be done which anyone can do. The following 
things should b.e done :— 
1. Place the patient in the open air, or near the open 
door of the house. 2. Make the patient vomit by 
tickling the back of the throat with a finger, a 
feather or a piece of grass, and, if he can swallow, 
make him drink water at intervals after each vomit so 
that the stomach is washed out thoroughly. If he 
does not vomit freely, get someone to mix a table- 
spoonfull of 'ground' mustard in a tumbler (' half-pint 
glass') of warm water— (for a child, a teaspoonful of 
mustard in half a tumbler of water) and make him 
drinh it ofl . 
■3. If the patient begins to get insensible or 'lifeless' : 
Take the clothes from the upper part of the body and 
pour a large stream of water out of a jug or bucket 
from a height of three or four feet on to the back 
of the head, the spine and chest. This should never 
he left undone. 
4. Afterwards dry the body with a rough towel or 
any coarse garment, and put on some dry clothes and 
blankets, shawls, or anything to keep him warm. 
Continue to rub the arms and legs brishly to keep 
up the circulation. If he gets cold, put some bottles 
filled with hot water round about him, 
5. All this time hold ' smelling salts ' to his nostrils 
every now and then. 
6. As soon as the stomach is empty and nothing 
but water comes up when he vomits, give a strong 
dose of rnm, whisky, or brandy diluted with twice aa 
much water ; and if it comes back at once, repeat the 
dose. 
7. If anyone near by knows how to carry out what is 
called ' artificial respiratien,' it should be done if the 
patient gets very bad and stops breathing. 
Those in charge of persons suffering from cassava 
poisoning should not despair. Some of the worst cases 
bave recovered after energetic treatment. Remember 
that the patient's life is at stake, and there is no time 
to consider whether ' wetting him will give him a cold 
or any idea of that kind. W hat ia recommended above 
should be dons without fsiil. 
