THE PLANT WORLD 151 



The most important part of this interesting plant, however, is the 

 peculiar tuber-like bodies which are borne on slender roots, or stipes, 

 from 3 to 6 inches beneath the soil surface. This pseudo-tuber is oval or 

 elliptic in shape, from 1 to 2 inches in length, and covered with a thin 

 smoothish cuticle of a pale yellowish color — about the color of a postal 

 card ; a few small rootlets are attached to the outer skin as well as to the 

 stipe. The fact that no " eyes " are present precludes its being termed a 

 tuber, but the abruptness with which it arises at the tip of the more or 

 less specialized root which is not continued within the starch body, mark 

 it as the limit of a root running tuberward. The center of this body, to 

 the extent of about one-third of the entire content, is occupied by a 

 translucent portion of a firm and crisp but gelatinous nature ; the main 

 portion resembles the interior of the common potato but is finer-grained 

 and much more gummy. Though the glutinous character disappears 

 upon cooking, the crispness remains even after prolonged boiling. 



The thin cuticle being removed after cooking, there appears a delicious 

 morsel, snow-white outside, semi-transparent in the center, which may 

 be eaten as a side dish with butter, or, as many prefer, as a relish with 

 salt, like radishes ; it is also good in soups. From December to May it 

 it is fairly common in the markets and is also frequently sold, cooked 

 but not peeled, in the streets in the evening — a dozen or so tied in a 

 bunch with the attached root-stems, at 1 cent per bunch ; they thus take 

 the place of peanuts. 



The flavor of the Lleren is difficult to describe — there is certainly a taste 

 like sweet-corn, and something quite its own besides. The surest thing 

 about it is that if you try it once you will again. O. W. Barrett. 



Mayagiiez, P. R. 



To the Editor of The Plant World : 



In the March issue Dr. C. E. Waters dealt to some extent with plant 

 pathology. He makes the statement that " in our own bodies we have 

 the white blood corpuscles whose function it is to destroy any bacteria 

 that may find an entrance into the blood." Thanks to Ehrlich we now 

 know that bacteria, or their toxins, are rendered harmless by the produc- 

 tion of an antitoxin, and that the duty of the leucocytes is to act as 

 scavengers and remove the debris, including the dead bacteria. 



I think that Burrows was the first to discover that plants, as well as 

 animals, have infectious diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. Now to 

 come to the point of this letter : What protection have plants against 

 bacteria that have gained an entry to the organism ? Is an antitoxin 

 produced ? I can find no literature upon the subject. It seems to me 

 that the question should afford a magnificent field for work that should 

 have a practical as well as a scientific value. H. H. Hazen. 



Johus Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Md. 



