New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-23
VEGETABLE CURlOS[TIES.
AMONG THE EXHIBITS IN THE HEP
BARIUM OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE.

washington Nov. Elm a glass case in the
herbarium in the Department of Agriculture there
Is number OF most interesting vegetable curiosi-
ties.
In this herbarium at present there are some
thing like eleven thousand different species OF
plants belonging to the United States this num-
yer constituting nearly % per cent of the entire
existing number in this country The collection
Is pretty nearly completed this respect but bo-
tanical agents are constantly engaged in Texas
FLORIDA and other States in trying TO secure new
specimens. Perhaps the most interesting speci-
men in the entire herbarium is that known as the
vegetable dishrag" plant which grows in the
southern States and which Is largely used for the
purposes its name indicates. 1t is durable some
thins like a sponge in the form OF a sheet. and
feels like coarse Turkish towel when employed
IN the bath. Down South It is found serviceable
IN all sorts of other ways, and is really valuable
plant
The vegetable ivory plant is a sort of PALM ma
tive TO the tropics that along the ground
making pods at intervals. Each pod contains from
three to five of the nuts, which about the size
and shape of a bantams egg. The material of
which they composed resembles ivory in ap-
pearance, is intensely hard. and lasts nearly as
well as real ivory long g Il does not get wet
The soap root" which miners of California use
10 wash their clothes with, Is another remarkable
and curious plant. They soak their clothes over
night with the root, which forms suds and in the
morning no difficulty is experienced in getting the
garments thoroughly clean by a little rubbing with
also employed by the Indians of many tribes for
cleaning their blankets
In the same case are pods OF the Western yellow
water lily, the cells of which are filled with black
seeds each of the size of small marble which
rattle about when the pods are dry. Indian babies
are supplied with them often for rattIes to amuse
them and keep them quiet. Alongside of these are
the red Sword beans" which grow in Florida and
are used good deal for necklaces and other artI-
cles of jewelry Also one can see the seeds of the
HCn ting
are sometimes called water chestnuts" and upon
certain variety of them thirty thousand people
In Cashmere depend altogether for food for FIVE
months Of the year. In Venice they are called
"Jesuits' nuts"
Another seed OF Z curious nature &c tho mt
known as the 'anacardium," which, when cut open
Is so poisonous to produce effects like and quite
AS pad as those of the poison ivy. A bold expert
menter at the Agricultural Department put a por-
uon OF the kernel of one OF the nuts in his mouth
and the next day his face was pretty much all
mouth and eruption. He never attempted the
pertinent again
Ihere are shown, too. some specimens of skeIe-
tons OF cacti. The Indians out West soak the
pricky pear plant and let the soft part rot AWAY
so that only the woody framework IS left This
framework is utilized for making baskets. and the
baskets produced are the prettest made by the
Indians. Anything more useless. seemingly than
any sort Of cactus hardly be agned but in
the West the most horribly pricky cactI are actli-
ally employed as fodder for cattle, being first partly
burned to remove the prickles, and then chopped
up and mixed with other fodder Another sort Of
thing commonly utilized for fodder In that coun-
try is the screw bean which resembles exactly
a bunch Of old screws
There is also shown 4 weed which is common
on the prairies of Kansas. and which makes horses
drunk The taste for this loco" plant is not
natural, but the animals eat II when other forage
Is short A fondness for IL Is easily acquired. and
a 'ooozing' appetite is the result the animals
soon preferrng It 10 anything else In the forage
line. They devour it greedily, and are driven to
frenzied intoxicaton. At first they go round and
round In a blind sort of way. leaping over a stick
as If II was five barred fence and otherwise con-
Quoting themselves absurdly Finally they swell
up and actually burst open. At time the State
offered bounty to persons who would pluck up
the weed but the State treasury was almost de-
pleted, and the bounty paying Withdrawn. 1t
being believed that many farmers found II profta-
BILE TO cultivate the weed in order get the bounty
The vegetable cap is a native of Central Amer
lea, and the natives use it's flower sheaths for
head coverings Before the bud OF this queer flower
opens II is covered with brown. hbrous case some
what the shape Of an umbrella cover and about
2l< feet long. This sheath Is pushed OFF by the ex-
pansion Of the flower. and being folded I'm teIe-
scopic fashion, makes picturesque sort OF hat.