234 
THE TROPICAL AGEIGULTTJRIST, [Oct, 1, 1903. 
respectively, but it is generally adoiitted that they 
are almost identical in every respect, and ao far as 
the quality of the fibre is concerned, experiments have 
shown that it is eqally good in each case. Appa- 
rently, granting that the decortioator difficulty no 
longer chokes the wa-y, all that now remains to be 
done is to ascertain whether there are areas in 
India where Swallowort plantations could be profit- 
ably opened. In many parts of the Madras Presi- 
dency, where the plant now runs wild, it may just 
be possible to find considerably extensive waste 
places which could be profitably plmted up with 
this hardy shrub. And no doubt also, the quality 
of the fibre could be materially improved with a 
little care and trouble. 
Of almost equal importance to the fibre of swal- 
lowort is the silky cotton from the seeds, known 
commercially as " madar floss." It is soft, very white 
and has a beautiful silky gloss. Until about two 
decades ago, it was generally regarded as of too 
short staple to be spun, but in 1886, a Lancashire 
spinner claimed to have overcome this particular 
difficulty and declared his readiness to purchase any 
quantity. The Scientific Department of the Imperial 
Institute subjected the floss to analysis and found 
that it possesses the chemical characteristics of 
lingo cellulose and contained a very high and unique 
percentage of furfural. The floss was once in great 
demand for fancy textile purposes, but, owing to 
variations in the quality of the parcels supplied, 
and to the intermiiteut supply when requirements 
arose, the material dropped out of use. If of good 
quality the floss would realise from 4d. to 5d. per pound 
cif. In packing it for sale it should be handled as 
little as possible, the pods and seeds being entirely 
removed, and the floss left in its actual condition- 
unopened ; any discoloured portions being removed 
and forwarded separately. The exports from Java 
are generally sewn in canvas in bales from 80 to 
90 lb, each, not pressed. In parts of India, the 
floss is used, like the Dutch " kapok," for stuffing 
pillows. In Calcutta the substance is sometimes 
commercially known as " akund cotton." 
It is scarcely necessary to dilate in the present 
article on the various other uses and the properties of 
the different parts of the Swallowort plant, and it 
will suftioe to mention briefly that the bark, leaves, 
(fee, are all medicinal and very commonly employed 
by native physicians. The juice mixed with ;common 
salt"is given in toothache and the juice of the buds 
in earache. It is also associated with lac as a leather 
dye. The root is used in the manufacture of gun- 
powder charcoal, and the ashes are employed as a 
mordant. The natives set great store by the plant, 
and have long been aware of its several economic 
uses. Now that so much attention is being devoted 
to the textile industry in India, it may be that, in 
the light of the information above given, a serious 
effort will be made to settle conclusively whether 
or not it is possible to establish out here a profit- 
able industry iu the two fibres which swallowort 
yields. Considerable attention is at present being 
paid to rhea, which can now be easily dealt with 
by the Faure and other machines, and so mucu is 
the fibre thought of that the cultivation of the 
plant is receiving State encouragement in America. 
If Oaloti-opis would but lend itselt to profitable culti- 
vation, and if it could be mechanically treated, there 
is no reason why it should not occupy an even 
higher place than rhea in the textile market. — 
Madras Mail, 
CASSAVA. 
i'he greatest confusion and uucectaiaty has existed 
here as to varieties of CissiVa called Swaet that 
can be relied upDu to parfocUy vvholesoiue for 
live stock to eat raw aui tor people to eat cooked, 
Biud i3,itter Cassava which contains a high eaoug 
proportion of poison to make a special preparation 
necessary before it could be used as meal or farine. 
Some of our so-called Sweet varieties on analysis 
showed a proportion of poison (hydrocyanic acid) that 
made them dangerous to be iu common use, and so 
we often heard of pip^s and fowls d ying through 
eating their roots. As in many thrown up cultivations 
the cassava flowers and forms seeds, and these drop 
and grow, it may have happened that there has been 
much intercrossing, and this seems likely from the 
many different kinds scattered through the island j 
differences of leaf, stem, and roots often being very 
slight — but still noticeable by those accustomed to 
them. Now, sweet Cassava is a most useful and 
wholesome vegetable for human food and for the 
feeding of live-stock, but very many are afraid to 
use anything but a very few varieties (which it ao 
happens too do not bear largely) and so the free 
use of one of the most economical food 3tuffs in the 
whole vegetable world is very much circumscribed. 
Mr. Robert Thomsom, who for many years resided 
in Colombia, was greatly impressed with the economic 
value of the Sweet Cassava universally used aa food 
there. Here we have the varieties of yams as the 
staple food of the people, with cocoes (taniaa) and 
sweet potatoes iu common use also, but not much 
cassava, except in the very dry districts where yama 
and cocoes do not grow. But iu Colombia, Mr, 
Thomson says, the people have no yams, and they 
hardly grow tanias at all; their whole dependence 
for farinaceous food is on Sweet Cassava, and so, 
depending upon it for food, have not encouraged 
the Bitter or poisonous variety, but continually de- 
veloped the Sweet, so that in the quantity produced 
and the high content of starch and solids, some, 
if not all of our varieties grown here are much 
inferior. This is shown by Mr, Thomson's experi- 
mental cultivation in St. Andrew, where Colombian 
and Jamaica varities were grown side by side under 
exactly the same conditions, The soil is a light, 
gravelly loam, the elevation above sea 400 feet, the 
rainfall very light; it is indeed a dry district. 
The Colombian varieties were collected in different 
districts and at varying elevations, up to a high alti- 
tude, so that it cannot be said that the conditions 
of the experimental cultivation favoured them in any 
way. The soil was fairly good, one acre was ploughed 
the other two acres had only holes dug 4x4 feet, and 
the Cassava was planted in December 19U1, when the 
ground was moist. 
Seventeen varieties were delivered to the Agri- 
cultural Chemist, Mc. H. H. Cousins for analysis, in 
November 1902, eleven months from planting, who 
found that the content of hydrooanic acid in the 
West Indian varieties of Sweet CASsava is about 
O OiO the average of the Colombian varieties is only 
about a ■ sixth of that or O'OOIT. 
It is quite possible that after cultivation iu Jamaica 
may alter the Colombian Cassava, but if always 
grown from cutting it is not probable- The danger 
of growing from seed is the liability to crossing. 
Aa regirda atiroh content the Jamaican varieties 
averaged about 20 par cent, at the most 23 per cent., 
but under the same conditions as the Colombian only 
17 per oent, The analysis showed that the varieties 
from Colombia averaged 29*53 of starch, the highest 
" Notoseves,'' re-named here by consent of His 
Excellency the Governor, " Governor Hemming," 
g4ve 36"5U per oent. of Starch, the lowest " Facho," 
19'30. Of the solids not starch the highest was a 
"Pacho" variety with 19"13 per cent., the lowest 
and another " Pacho " variety with 6*62— there were 
three Pacho varieties. The lowest content of hydro- 
cyanic acid WAS the Helada variety with a trace 
U-O0J7, the hi;4he3t, Cijon Amanlla with 0 0030, and 
Negrita with 0'0035.M!r. Thomson remarks that the 
Pa,ono varieties are more suitable for the hills where 
he beliovos tiiey would largely increase their content 
of stJLch. Tiie whole collection of these useful 
plants has beau baught out by the Uaitei States 
Uovermaant for planting iu Florida and elsewhere 
