Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-31
FLOWERS AS FOODS.
TONS oF bHtt6Arts BLOSSOMS
 ARE tsHb ANNUALLY
They Are Msds tnto Salads, 6ufHes and tsiiiss by the People of the Utieht-Uioves and
 Un.pers.

Though the fact Is well known that flowers are used extensively as ittdl- cine. 1t may e0ttie as q surprise tb ihaiiy that tons uf delicate flowers afe tesu- iatiy used as food says the South China Post.
 ih many parts of india the flowers of sapohateous tree, baHsle latftsia, bt inahwah, fbtit really important article bf diet These blbssotfs, which are stie- etieht and very hbufishihg and htiihet- ous, fall at night in large quantities ffbhi the trees and ate gathered eatly iii the iitottilhg And eaten raw. They have d sweet, but sitkly taste and bdbt They are likewise dried in stih and sold ih bazats The Bheels dry them and stbte them as staple article of food
 An ardent spirit like whisky Is dis- titled from these flowers and Is tbh- stitned ih large quantities by the natives of Guzetat, eteI sweetne6ts are also made Of theihl A single tree affords from 200 to lOO pounds of blossoms In Mnlabat and Mysbte another species of the tree abbuhds. the flowers of which are used ih a similar manner by the tia- tives.
 The flowers of the judas tree have ah agreeable atrld taste and are soine- times mixed with salads ot made into fritters with batter, and the flower buds are pieltled with vinegar. The flowers of the American species are used by the French Cahadians ih salads and pickles. The flowers of the Abutiioh esttilehtum are used ih Brazil as boiled vegetables. The flowers of the hofseradish tree are eaten by the natives of india in their curry.
 The young eaiieeB of Dilehia stara- bella and b speelosia. which are swbl- len and neshy, have a pleasantly acid taste, and are used by the inhabitants of Chittagong and Bengal fin their ttirries and also for making ieiies. The large, showy flowers of the tiastutum are fire. uuehtly used along with the young leaves in salad They have a wafm taste, not unlike that of the common efess, and it Is from this similarity that the plant has gained the name hastut- tlum.
 The people of india are fond of the flowers of the thododendroh afboteuhi, and even Ahsio- Europeans use them for making ieliies Yet poisonous proper. ties are asetlbed to the species of this genus, and it has been said that the R. pohtieuin was the plant from whose flowers the bees of pohttis gathered the honey which produced the extfaotdl. nary symptoms of poisoning described as having attacked the Greek soldiers in the famous retreat of the Ten Thou- sand.
 The flower clusters of the eaulinbwer. which form themselves into a astn cluss ter ot head, varying from four to eight or more inches across, become the edi. ble portion of one of the greatest of veg. etsble dellcacies in this 1t differs greatly from all other members of the cabbage family, whose leaves and stalks are used for culinary purposes.
 The flower buds of the Cappafis spine asa plant which grows oh the walls in southern Europe. are commonly known as caper These are chiefly i'm. ported from Sicily, though the plant Ia largely cultivated in some parts of France. The cloves of commerce are the unespanded buds of Caryophylius aromaticus small evergreen. native of the Moluccas, but cultivated in many parts of the East and West indies.