SAGO. This word signifies, in the lan guage of the Papuas, bread, since it constitutes the staple article of food of the inhabitants of the Eastern Archipelago and other parts where the plants which yield it grow. It is not a seed, but the farina from the stem of several palms and palm-like vegetables. Sago is a variety of starch, prepared by the plant for the use of the flowers and fruit, and is most abundant just before the evolution or appearance of the flower-bud, which is known by a whitish dust transuding through and covering the leaves. At this time the stem is cut down near the base, and then divided into pieces of five or six feet in length. A part of the outer hard wood is then sliced off, and the workman, coming to the pith, cuts across the longitudinal fibres and the pith together, leaving a part at each end uncut, so that when it is excavated there remains 'a trough, into which the pulp is again put, mixed with water, 'and beaten with a piece of wood ; the fibres, being then separated from the pulp, float at the top, and the flour sub sides. After being cleared in this manner by several waters, the pulp is put into cylin drical baskets made of the leaves of the tree; and, if it is to be kept some time, those baskets are generally sunk in fresh water to keep it moist, for the pulp will keep long if preserved from the air, but if exposed it presently turns sour.
The quantity yielded by one tree is prodi gious. Five or six hundred pounds are not an unusual produce for one tree ; and as the vegetation still remains after being felled, a stem again springs up,which goes the different stages of growth till it is fit for the axe.
The flour or powder is rarely imported, granulated sago being the state in which it is commonly brought to Europe. To bring it into this state from the flour, it must bo moistened and passed through a sieve into an iron pot (very shallow) held over a fire, which enables it to assume a globular form. Thus all our grained sago is half baked, and will keep long. Of this granulated sago there are two varieties; the common or brown sago, and pearl sago. The latter is in small hard horny or semi-transparent grains, about the size of a pin's head ; the former are in larger grains, about the size of the grains of pearl barley. Both are inodorous, and with an in sipid taste. They swell in cold water, and are almost entirely soluble in boiling water, so as to form a thick starch-like solu tion, which may be used as a pudding, or prepared in other ways as an article of diet for children and invalids, if a farinaceous diet is required. 65,000 ewts. of sago were imported in 1848.