The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-10-23
A Plant Pretext for War.

1t is commonly reported that the
pretext which the Idaho Indians
make for beginning the war which i
now raging, was encroachment by
settlers upon "Big Camas Prairie, y
upon which grew large quantities Of
the "camas" bulbs, which the Indians
esteem highlysfor food, The Indian
claim that the war was undertaken in
this defense oftheir food resources is
strongly denied by the settlers, who
assert that the "camas" was only a
pretext, and that the war really
sprang from the evil dispositions Of
the aborigines However this may
be, the " canes becomes a subject
Of peculiar interest, as being ostensi-
bly, the bone of contention, and there
fore we choose it and several kindred
bulbs and roots for illustration this
week.
Camas root or "wild hyacinth !"
(Caneassia esculentd) This root re-
sembles an onion in shape and hick-
DRY nut in size. 1t bears a pretty
blue flower. The root is dug in June
lI.-l,--xxrI.3-----~. ss.syso
is pleasant and mucilaginous when
boiled it somewhat resembles the
common potato. The Indian mode
OF preparing it for future use is to
dig a pit, line it with rocks, upon
which a fire is made, and, when
heated sufficiently, the heated stones
are swept clean and the roots are
heaped upon them; grass or twigs
are mex. laid over the pile, and, final
ly, covering of earth. After sever
al days the pit is uncovered, when
the white roots are found to be con-
verted into a thoroughly cooked,
darkbrown, homogeneous mass, OF
about the consistency Of softened
glue, and as sweet as. molasses.
Cooked in this manner the roots are
often made into large cakes, by mash
ing and pressing them together, and,
when slightly dried in the sun, they
became rather pliable and tough, and
look like plugs Of black navy tobae-
CO. Its color does not recommend
it to the taste, but it is sweet, mucil-
aginous, and as agreeable as the fresh
root, excepting a slight smoky flavor
acquired in baking. In this pressed
form it keeps softer than in the raw
state Or when simply cooked, and
may be kept fora year oil, more. The
roots, when boiled in water, yield a
very good molasses, which is much
priced, and is used on important fes-
tival occasions by various tribes. The
Indians OF Cape Flattery, the Nez
Perces, Of Idaho, and those Of Pitt
river, California, are the greatest con-
sumers of this article of diet, under
the name Of camas root.
House root (Peuce00,aaua dna6igt-
eno.) The root of this plant is dug in
April or May when in bloom. 1t
grows on hills and mountains which are
SO poor that grass will not grow upon
them. When fresh it is like the parsnip
in taste, and as it dies becomes brittle
and very white, with an agreeable
taste OF mild celery. 1t is easily re-
duced to flour. When its brown ep-
ldermls is removed, innumerable
small dots are revealed. Both the
roots and the flour will keep several
months. 1t is sometimes called bread
or biscuit root by travellers and house
root by the Indians of Oregon and
Idaho.
Prairie potato or "bread root"
SPSorated eScuIenta). 1t is also called
Indian turnip, pomnse de prairie of
the French, and tip-sin-nah of the
sioux, who use this root very extern
sively' 1t is generally the size of a
l hens egg, of q regular oyoid share,