The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-09-05

that nation. and to this day II survives
conspIc1ogsly In architecture, as( for ex-
ample. In the capitals OF columns 1t was
then. as It II now. OF importance as a food
producer not only in the region Of the
Me but also among Asiatie peoples.
Chinese feoa Proaae'.
From the viewpoint Of the government
experts. the easiest way 10 examine Asi-
attic food plants was 20 buy them in san
Francisco. where many OF them are al
ways on sale. being imported for consump-
ton By the ChiEese. A visit to the mar
ke's OF the Oriental quarter in that city
.Sreals to the eye Of nonresident much
that IL both strange and interesting Most
OF the curious roots, green vegetables,
seeds. &C, making Up the stock in trade
81 the slant-eyed groeeryman are wholly
unfamiliar. some OF them being fetched
directly from Canton. while others,
though grown in AmeT21sz soil, are ASH
attic in origin. They afford a subject OF
study from which. It IS believed. much
mey be learned that Is of value. IL Is not
without reason that the Chinese are said
10 understand better than any other peo-
rle the art OF obtaining from given area
OF land the greatest possible amount OF
food material. and one way in which they
accomplish this Is by utilizing large va
rioty OF food plants
In this country lilies are considered as
OF use only for ornamental purposes, but
in Asia the bulbs and also the flowers OF
several species have long been used as ar
ticleH OF food. Both the Chinese and the
japanese eat ttem habitually. and one
kind furnishes the hairy Amos OF the isl
and Of Yezo-the northern limit of the mi
kado's empire-with their chief vegetable
diet. From early December to late in Au-
gust the bulbs OF an edible lily, imported
from Canton, are found In the Chinese
markets Of San Francisco, where they
are sold at 10 to 20 cents a pound. What
seems 20 be the same species may also be
obtained In a dried state throughout the
year. and both this and the fresh bulbs
are known to the epicurean Celestial as
'pakhop.''
Edible Liiv Bulbs.
These bulbs were analysed by the eX-
perts. who found them rich in starch and
even more nutritious than potatoes. When
simply boiled, they are very palatabie,
and II is believed that Americans might
easily acquire taste for them. One not
able point in their favor is that when
dried they are quite as good for table use
as in the fresh condition. Ii is not likely
that they could be grown in this country
as ckeaply as some other vegetables. bat
they might serve as a luxury, like let
tuce. Indeed, the Chinese regard them
more as delicacy than as a standard
article OF diet. the price being proportion
ately high. BY the japanese they are
considered as an especially desirable food
fer inyalids and convalescents. and when
utilized for this purpose. the bulbs are
only slightly cooked and eaten with su-
gar.
The so-caIled "water-chestnut" is wide
ly used in China and Japan as food
plant, and in those countries Is highly es-
termed. 1t grows wild in watery places.
and in some regions so profusely as not to
require cultivation. The edible tubers are
sweet. juicy. and resemble the chestnut
in favor. They are enveloped in thick,
brown skin. bat within are white and OF
a moist consistency. The experts found
them not very rich in nutriment, but de-
cldedly palatable. They contain much su.
gar, and are good to eat even raw. in
which condition they are largely consum-
ed by the Eastern Asiatics. 1t is believed
that the plant would thrive wei in humid
portions % the Southern States, or in the
interior valley OF California.
Nutritious ara Root.
From remote antiquity the taro has con-
tributed Importantly 10 the food supply
OF the natives Of Southern Asa, portions
Of Africa. and many Of the island groups
Of the Pacific. II is to-day one of the
plants most commonly cultivated through
out the tropics. In the United States il is
already well known, though utilized ex-
clusiVely for ornamental purposes, its
huge "elephants-ear' leaves lending
adornment to many garden The edible
roots haze the internal consistency of a
sweet potato, and are extremely nutri-