The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-12-24

DAsHEENS WILL MAKE A GOOD
srUFFTNG FOR A CHRIST.
MAS TURKEY,
Gan He Cooked Like Potatoes or
Like Ccreais--win Probably Prove
Popular In This State Where II Can
he Grown-Somcthlng About the
New Tubcr.

bc Grown-Somcthlng About the
New Tubcr.
Washington. Dec. 31.--If the house,
aife can obtain dasheens she may
make from this recently inirodu, I'd
vegetable q delicious stutfing for her
Christmas turkey. incidentally she
may bake them like potatoes and OBJ
tain dish possessing something of
The flavor of boiled chestnut: she
nay make them into a pie similar TO
The sweet potato pie. Dasheens are
also good boiled. roasted. fried as frit-
sers. or a salad. Dasheen -four will
make biscuits. mullins and girddle.
eakeo. possessing a superior flavor.
The dasheen. which has been ro-
Gently introduced here by the depart.
ment OF agriculture. 10 the root OF
. plant which resembles that known
familiarly an the elephants ear" but
the roots Of the ordinary elephants
ear are not dasheens. The vegetabl,
looks like an undersized cocoanut, ai-
though IL sometimes grows to consid-
erable size. An exceptional one re-
Gently received by the department
weighs 6 "a pounds.
The dasheen originally came from
China, a. its name seems to indicate
corruption Of the French "de
Chine" II has already been grown
successfully In our South and should
eventually become one Of the most
Important field crops there. but an yet
not enough people have been interest
ed In II to justify dealers In putting II
on the market.
However. IL the housewife is for
tunate enough to be- where dasheens
have been successfully grown, she
may make this filling for her Christ
mas fowl:
Two parts of riced dasheen.
One pa of bread.
One egg.
Butter according to quantity of
above.
Season to taste with salt. pepper,
sage and onion.
The dasheens should be boiled and
rtced In the same way as are potatoes.
The fact that the dasheen has been
extremely written up as a substitute
Tor the potato has led to q number Of
Inquiries from foreign countries re-
Rarding It's value.
From tho Carolina southwark the
dasheeI. may be cultivated with a
high degree OF success In any rich,
sandy ioam or soil. where there ISL
plenty Of moisture and heat. 1t will
not grow I'm soil suitable for cotton,
but may be grown In soil suitable for
potatoes Tho importance to the
southcrner lies particularly In the
fact that II natures In the fall. where
as the main potato crop In the South
natures In the spring. and in winter
the Southern States have to obtain
their potato supply from the North.
III dssheens were grown and proper
ly appreciated. there would probab-
ly be little need for tho South over
to buy Northcrn-srown potatoes for
food.
The departments Office of foreign
seed and plant introduction, which
haB been the means of making the
dasheen known in America, has re-
ceived a number OF letters like tbs
following:
"on March 20. 1919. received
from your department some dasheens
shipped by the Brooksville. Fla. sta
tion. I planted them March "a, on a
ioamy soil here in Monroe. La. two
blocks west OF Ouachita River. They
soon crr"s M and were large enough
O. begin eltv. he greens and stems,
which our famuy soon became fond,
a. crew 90 Ills. The plants grew
up reet ne Some of the plants
ma1H oniy pO..ds Of dasheens, while
others made as much an 10 pounds to
h,li have not dug mine yet. In
fact. 4 can leave them In ground this
w!utcr here. as the ground does not
frrcze no much here. We have been
cetrs the dashecns for some time
and ;e them better than Irish pota-
torE
mink you should add another
uarir % them and call thcm 'dasheen
or p. mans friend since any per-
sou tn very limited space can plant
frV hills In garden or yard. early
ir epr'ng. and have nice fresh green's
uom oarly spring until frost and then
h.F. 4 all come the tubcrs."
'a- ieens, large or small. may be
Id. ..u like DOtatOeR In q, e,,rcL ova,,