, 1900-12-20
A KITCHEN GARDEN.
CONDUCTED BY DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
On the Potomac Flats Near Washington
Experimenting with Various Plants
Newly Introduced Into This Country
Pot-ncrb Cultivation on as Acres.


Pot-icrb Cultivation on as Acres.
Uncle sam has a truck patch over
on the Potomac fats. near Washing
toh' which has been started recently
Tor the purpose Of Experimenting with
various plants newly introduced into
this county by the department OF
agriculture. 1t covers abOu. - acres.
and Just at present a considerable part
or this area is devoted to the cultiva-
ton or a number Of valuable kinds Of
~pothcrbs. which Secretary Wilson
wishes to add to the list OF those al
ready known to American housewives.
Before long supplies of the seeds will
be distributed all over the United
States. and anybody who wants to
raise them will have a chance to do
so. Many is the dish of soup or stew
to which they will lend navors. 1t
once delicious and novel, for the beuc-
Mt OF every day people. One Of these
potherbs is a vine from India. called
in that country 'baseIla." and COM
monty grown on poles. though it does
very well running over the ground. 1t
has exquisite pinkish blossoms. small
and somewhat resembling those of the
trailing arbutus or may flower, and
these are replaced in due time Inv cum
ming little fruits that look like tiny
blaCEherries. 1t is one Of the most
delicious Of all potherbs. and a not
able point about this plant Is that il
keo vs. on growing all summer long,
continually producing fresh leaves for
the housewives use. The vine. by the
way. is related to the well known
Madeira vine, which is familiar in
houses. Another of the new potherbs
is the so-Called New Zealand spinach
which has been well known in Europo
for ever so long. It looks not very un
like the ordinary table spinach. n
undoubtedly will be a great acuuisi-
tton. Then there is a kind Of a sor-
rel, with large leaves that have a rath-
er agreeable sou taste when one bites
a piece. 1t is related to the familiar
American sorrel. but quite a different
plant. OF course. everybody knows
IN" common okra, which is so import
an ingredient of gumbo soup-that
dish of delightful flavor which origi-
mated in the south. But Uncle sam
is raising. in the truck patch afore-
said. a European okra which is like
ours much magniied. having great poIs
eight inches in length. and not less
tender by reason of their size. Here
is a novelty that is sure to command
attention from the woman who does
her W marketing, and knows a good
thing to eat when she sees 1t. One
of the most curious plants in the
truck patch Is a kind of sedge. which
looks for all the world like the coarse
marsh grass that grows in swampy
places along the %seashOre. But pull up
a clump of it., and knock the earth
away from the roots. and you will
find attached to the latter a lot of
queer little tubers, each Of them about
the size of a hazel nut. These are an
table vegetable. when suita-
bly, prepared. and in Europe the chill
dren are fond of eating them raw. in
which condition they taste somewhat
like %cocoanut. Chufa is the name Of
the plant, and there is a fair pros
pect that within a few years from now
it will be widely known in this cOUn-
try. Another interesting plant. set
in rows in the truck patch. looks
like a gigantic thistle, but is in reality
the so-Called globe a~rtichukc." This
kind of artichoke is largely eaten in
Europe. but is hardly known in this
country outside of Louisiana. where
1t is quite extensively cultivated for
the New Orleans market. being hishly
appreciated by the CrColes The plant
is not at all related to the Jerusalem
artichoke. which is in reality d sun
flower. Among other things that ar"
being tried by the government az
perts are Egyptian peanuts, which pro-
duce a much larger percentage Of oil
than our own varieties. Peanut oil
has become a commercial article Of
such great Importance that 1t is well
worth while to do everything possible
in the way of encouraging its prudu2-
ton in this country Likewise from
Egypt are several varieties Of pump
kins and sQuashcs which are hginS
grown experimentally, and several va
rieties of celery, most Of them from
southern Europe, are being tested for
their relative merits. Two serious diff
fculties with which the experts in
charge of the farm have 20 contend
are sparrows and rats The snarroW1
eat the growing corn and wheat
which are cultivated in small guam
titles for seed. the object be
ing to obtain improved varieties by
the process known as plant breeding
AS for the rats. they are big, gray t"i-
lows. which come from the shipping
docks in the neighborhOod. They de-
-FOUR all sorts Of products Of the truck
patch and are particularly destructive
to the cowpeas-New York Herald.