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

,Ious. In tropical countries Anslo-saxon
residents soon acquire liking for them.
Unfortunately. the area in the United
States suited 20 the culture OF the taro Is
somewhat limited II grows with great
rapldity. but requires an abundance OF
water. Contemporary literature has made
familiar the fatal taro patch" Of the typ
Ical South Sea community. the ripenIng
OF which. TO satisfy savage superstition.
must be celebrated by human sacrifice
and cannihai feast
The AsistIes have some very odd cab
bages, the most notable Of which rssem-
bles head Of lettuce rather than an or
binary cabbage. This IS the famous
'shantung cabbage" named after its ma
tive province in China, which, though
long ago brought 20 the attention Of seed
men and gardeners, has never been intro
dueed In this country II IL described as
delicious. A peculiar ard excellent vari-
ETY. OF egg plant, known in San Francisco
as ''pak-ke." is conspicuous on the Chi
reese vegetable stands during the summer
months. II has smooth. white skin, and
Is from six to eight inches long. The So
called "leprosy gourd" -shuttle-shaped
and covered With tubercles-is employed
By the celestials in the preparation of
salads. and In tropical Asia the immature
fruit is largely used for curries. Like 9th
er green vegetables OF Asiatic origin. II is
grown pr0fusely in Chinese gardens along
the Sacramento River. IL is not specially
valuable for its nutritious properties. its
usefulness being mainly TO impart flavor
10 dishes made Of other materials.
The Vegetable Di.bclotb.
The vegetable dishcloth'' as il is called
in the United States-commonly sold in
1DOthecary shops as substitute for the
spongt-is mass Of dried fiber obtained
from the interior Of the crooked. yellow
ish-green fruit. often two feet In length.
Of the ''luffa'' plant. In fresh state this
fruit IS used by the AsIatics as we Use the
squash Another vegetable delicacy. al
-eady known in this country under the
name of Chinese preserving melon" has
long been cultivated in China. Japan, In
dia. and Africa. The mature fruits. which
attain q weight OF twenty-five pounds,
are utilized II the preparation OF confec-
tons. Two peculiar varieties of the sXeet
potato are on sale in the Chinese quarter
Of San Francisco. and are noteworthy from
the fact that they are the only edible roots
found there which are familiar in Ameri-
can homes.
The seeds of the lotus are used by the
Chinese as We use chestnuts being eaten
raw. boiled, or roasted. In order to render
them palatable, il IL necessary to remove
the dark-green germs. which are so bitter
that the saying, Bitter as the germ OF
the lotus seed'' has passed into an Oriental
proverb. Another kind Of seed employed
as food in Eastern Asia is the horn
cteStnut'-so called because IL is shaped
somewhat ike the head and horns of a
COW. They have kernel which in taste
resembles the chestnut. II placed in YES
sci Of water. they readily eerminate and
produce the curious floating foliage char
acteristic of plants of their genus, which
have TO roots in the ground. but swim on
the surface of the ponds where they grow.
The seeds OF the watermelon are eaten
by the Chinese. usually raw. A fiavorins
ingredient much utilized by the Celestials
consists of the dried flowers of the COM
mon day Ely" of American gardens,
which to them is known as the gold
needle vegetable"
Better Than Potatoes.
Large areas in various parts OF the
United States which are too wet for other
root crops would serve admirably for the
cultivation of the arrowhead" which is
a favorite Asiatic vegetable. 1t is beau
tiful plant, and well worthy of a place
among the ornamental aquatics. In fact,
it is frequently used for this purpose by
the Chinese. who gro@ it in vessels of
water as they do the narcissus. The tn
bers are grown for food ali over China,
and the experts of the Department of Ag-
ricuIture say that they would prove most
useful as an article of diet in this country.
They are more nutritious than potatoes.
and when cooked in the same ways are de-
cidedly palatable A fine quality of starch
is easily prepared from them.
Among other valuable Asiatic food