Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-20
Dandelions as a Crop

A SA BRILLIANT decorative blossom in a held,
"A the dandelion compels our admiration. AS
feature of lawn it is usually held by the owner
to be nuisance requiring abatement. Many like
the tender leaves served as greens, and yet until
of late we have not considered the dandeiion a
commercial possibility as a vegetable. BESIDES its
edible leaves the plant has roots possessing valu-
able medicinal properties These we import from
Europe when. we want them, negiect'ng ing
copious supplies in our own back yards-and
then, pen in hand, we sit down and write articles
on business efficiency" But the dandelion, as a
money-making CROP is coming into IT'S own. says
writer i The Scientific American Supplement;
zone often hears the statement that every
production of nature is good in its kind, and the
dandelion is not an exception for every part OF
the plant 10 in repute for its particular purposes
II has in recent years acquired degree OF I'M
portance which, on that account, entities II TO
notice Its cultivation in the United States does
not date back very far, but il is highly probable
that it will become plant Of considerable COM
rnercial value. 1t Is, perhaps, one OF the most
cosmopolitan Of medical plants, for besides being
an actually recognized article in pharmacy it is
also largely collected and used by the country
people for liver-complaints and in cases OF dys-
pepsia. The roots are used in variety OF ways in
Europe and in parts Of this country One useful
form is that Of paste, which is made by pound
ing the fresh roots, placing the mass into tins
Or jars, and baking It in an oven until It IS thor
oughy dry. Il Is used also as substitute. for
coffee. For this purpose the roots are washed,
dried in the sun, and cut into small pieces after
which they are roasted in manner similar to
coffee. The material is then ground, and to every
nine parts OF coffee one part OF ground dandelion-
root is added This is said to form an excellent
and useful beverage
"The use Of dandelion leaves as pot-herb or
salad in the early spring is well known in this
country The country people make from them
tonic recommended for purifying the blood. Its
use for the table has become so universal that in
a number Of places large fields are devoted en-
tirely to its culture The leaves when boiled form
a very agreeable substitute for the spinach and
son than that in which any other Aant is found
to ripen in this climate The flowers are used
for making so-called dandelion wine.
"The industry 10 still localized around New
York, New. Haven and Boston; but after the
American growers learn to realize something for
the dandelion roots, as well as Tor the tops, it
will render it still more valuable article of
growth. At the present time our supply OF dan
delion roots comes chiefly from Germany, Aus
tria and France. The United States imports many
tons Of these roots annually, and there is no rea-
son why the American truck gardeners should not
supply this demand OF the comparative medicinal
qualities Of the American and foreign-grown roots
numerous experiments have been made and It
has been found that the foreign root contains no
one essential quality which is not possessed ip an
equal degree by our own; it Is in some cases even
more efectual than the foreign roots"
Dandelions are held to be sovereign remedy
for spring fever" by DR.. William Brady, who
writes in The Illustrated World This annual
tired feeling" Dr. Brady says, is due to the fail
ure Of the ductless glands to act properly, thus
allowing accumulated products to poison the
Some individuals have much more compe-
tent ductless gland apparatus than others If the
ductless glands functionatc actively, their secre
tons entering the bloodhelp to oxdizc or destroy
Pcisons circulating through the body, and 50 the
autointoxication without feeling the usual synip-
toms But II the poisoning gocs on for con-
siderable period, the ductless glands will evertu-
ally shirk the irksome burden, and then the spring
fever comes on with all its melancholy symptoms.
II is pretty well established fact that highly
heterogeneous diet, especially meat diet, places
heavier strain upon the ductless gland function
than carbohydrate or vegetarian diet; some
people can stand 1t longer than others-that is all
II they. last through into summer, they escape
spring fever.
And now for the remedy. Every old woman
knows that green garden truck-lettuce, onions,
radishes stringbeans, green peas, spinach, dan
delion and other greens-is good for the blood.
The spring vegetables are good because they fill
the bowel with indgestible ceulose and tend to
increase mobility or relieve blood stagnation there,
and also because the carbohydrate residue offers
a poor medium for the nefarious activities of the
colon bacillus and allied parasites which produce
the poisons Of administration and spring fever.
THUS the Italian immigrant woman Of the
peasant class who appears in your dooryard with
her roofing knife upon the first faint suggestion
OF spring is answering the call of the blood All
winter she and her family have hungered for
something bulky and green, and now, with her
apron full OF taraxacum officinale, commonly
called those pesky dandelions" she will serve her
family dish that will do far more good than any
spring tonic they could buy in bottle"