s
used by the native practitioners as a substitute for arrowroot.

Chinese arrowroot is said to be made from the root of _Nelumbium
speciosum_.

The original Indian arrowroot is extracted at Travancore, according to
Ainslie, from the root of the _Curcuma angustifolia_. It is easily
distinguished by its form, which is sometimes ovoid, sometimes
elongated, of considerable size, rounded at one of the extremities,
and terminating in a point at the other, often resembling a grain of
rice.

The manufacture of arrowroot on the southern borders of the
Everglades, at Key West, Florida, bids fair to become as extensive and
as profitable as at Bermuda, whence, at present, we receive the bulk
of our supplies. The wild root, which the Indians call Compti, grows
spontaneously over an immense area of otherwise barren land. It is
easily gathered, and is first peeled in large hoppers ingeniously
contrived, and thrown into a cylinder and ground into an impalpable
pulp. It is then washed and dried in the sun, baked and broken into
small lumps, when it is ready for the market. The article is
extensively used in the Eastern woollen and cotton establishments, as
well as for family use. Arrowroot is cultivated in the interior of
East Florida with great success. It is also cultivated to a
considerable extent in Georgia, and is, I understand, a profitable
crop.

The following is the process of manufacture:--The roots, when a year
old, are dug up, and beaten in deep wooden mortars to a pulp; which is
then put into a tub of clean water, well washed, and the fibrous part
thrown away. The milky liquor being passed through a sieve or coarse
cloth, is suffered to settle, and the clean water is drawn off; at the
bottom of the vessel is a white mass, which is again mixed with clean
water, and drained; lastly the mass is dried in the sun, and is pure
starch. Arrowroot can be kept without spoiling for a very long time.

A considerable quantity of arrowroot is now produced in the Sandwich
Islands. In 1841 arrowroot to the value of 3,320 dolls. was shipped,
and in 1843, 35,140 lbs., valued at L1,405, was exported, principally
to Tepic and San Blas, where it is used as starch for linen.

A kind of arrowroot of very good quality was sent to the Great
Exhibition of 1851, by Sir R. Schomburgk, which is obtained in St.
Domingo from the stems of a species of Zamia, called there Guanjiga;
and the _Zamia Australis_, of Western Australia, yields even better