/ 
374 Obfervations on the Culture of Leipzig, Caffava, and Madder. [ Mayr, 
ted familiarity with the beft fcholars of the 
Dutch, Ruhnkenius, Santenius, Wytten- 
bach, from the intercourfe of whom he 
‘derived great advantage in his literary 
purfuits. Mr, Heyne’s Homer is going 
on very rapidly in the prefs at Leipzig. 
Three volumes are already printed, but’ 
it is fuppoled, nothing will be fold before 
the completion of the whole. 

Anatysis of all the permanently valuable 
Papers which have appeared in the 
JouRNAL DE PuysiQue, from its 
Commencement to the prefent Time ; con- 
~ tinued from cur laft Magaxine, page249. 

OpsERVATIONS o7 the CULTURE Of the 
ManioqQuE, or Cassava. By M. 
Brunevii. ‘Journ. de Phyf. VW. 630. 
fel Bigs very extenfive ufe of this plant, 
It as an article of food in South Ame- 
rica, furnifhes a ftriking example of nu- 
man ingenuity fuccefstully directed to the 
extraGtion of wholefome nutriment, from 
fach vegetables as are very active poifons 
in their natural ftate. The Caflava (Ia- 
tropha Manihot of Linnzus) is a native 
of the warmer parts of South America, ef- 
pecially Brazil; its broad palmated leaves 
and white and rofe-coloured blofioms ren- 
der it a very ornamental plant. It may 
be propagated by feed, but more expedi- 
tioufly by fuckers : when the/ are planted 
an a deep, rich and light foil, they vegetate 
with furprifing vigour, producing in the 
courfe of a year a tuberous root above 
two feet Jong, and half a foot in thicknefs: 
‘fromh this is prepared, after the rollowing 
manner, a mild nutritious food, much in 
requeft with the natives and even tne Eu- 
ropean coloniits. The roois, as foon as 
gathered, are wafhed and ftripped of their 
thick rind by means of a knife; the heart, 
which is a pulpy mafs, either white, or of 
the colour of the yolk of an egg, is paffed 
repeatedly between cylinders turned bymill- 
work till the juice is entirely exprefled. 
The dry pulp, being thus freed from the 
poifonous juice, is a compound of farina 
and vegetable fibre, and requires no fur- 
ther preparation than being thoroughly 
dried cover a very flow fire; in this ftate 
it may be kept for feveral months in clofe 
veflels, and when ufed may be made into 
cakes by kneading up with water and bak- 
ing it, or into potage by boiling with 
water ard a little Cayenne pepper. The 
pure farino, called by the Indians Tapioca, 
is feparated from the fibrous part by tak- 
ing a handful of the pulp after the juice 
is extracted, and working it in the hand 
tili a thick white cream appears on its fur- 
face; this is fcraped off and wafhed in 
\ 
perfect impunity. 
-by gentle prefiure with the hand, thejuice — 
cold water; by degrees it fettles to the 
bottom, and the water being poured off, 
the reft of the moifture is diffipated over 
a very flow fire, ftirring the farina the 
whole time; by this means it concretes 
into grains about the fize of Sago, which 
f 
grow hard by keeping; this is the «moft 
nuttitive part of the pulp, and is a very 
pure fecula; it will keep for any length 
of time if preferved from moifture, and is _ 
a very wholefome and palatable food. 
The Indians prepare an intoxicating liquor 4 
from this: plant, by ‘heaping together ~ 
the Caflava cakes till they begin to 3 
heat and get mouldy, and then infafing 
them in water: a very rapid fermentation 
{peedily takes place, and anacerb difagree- e 
able liquor is produced, incapable of being — 
kept for more than a day without fpoil- ; 
ing, but which by its intoxicating quality : 
fully anfwers the intention of the natives. — 
The poifonous liquor is of a fweet bland ] 
tafte, but, if taken in any quantity, brings 
on an exceflive {welling of the body, con- 
vulfive tremors, vertigo and death. ~The 
hog, however, and fome other animals 
devour the frefh root with ‘eagernefs and 


























- 
4 
Remarks—From the preceding account, i 
it- appears that the Cafiavais compoled, fl 
like moft of the tuberous roots, of vegeta- a 
ble fibre, fecula or ftarch, and waterhold- 
ing in folution. the poifonous matter and — 
faccharine mucilage. The method of fe- — 
parating the nutritive part is extremely: ~ 
rude, and capable of being both fimplified ~ 
and improved. ‘The roots, when ‘peeled, © 
fhould be grated and thrown upon a feve; ~ 
together with fome of the fecula, will pafs — 
through; the fecula will fpeedily fublide, 
and the juice when poured off, may be fer- — 
mented, by which procefs the poifon would | 
in all probability be deftroyed : even fhould ‘ 
this not be the cafe, a pure ardent fpirit is 
may be obtained after fermentation by ~ 
diflillation. - The pulp on the Seve fhould- 
be repeatedly waflied with cold water, till 
it comes off quite clear; and all the wath- — 
ings being put together, will depofit the 
fecula; the water being poured off, the - 
fecula fhould be dried in a gentle heat,” 
and is the pure Tapioca; the fibrous mat= ~ 
ter remaining on the fieve is of no ufe but — 
as fewel. 1 
On the CULTIVATION of MADDER.- 
Fourn de Phys. V1. 152005 
HIS plant may be propagated either — 
| by offsets or feeds; if the latter me-— 
thod is preferred, the feed fhould be of the — 
true Turkifl kind, which is called Lisara 
in the Levant. On a light thin foil the” 
culture” _ 
