POSSIBILITIES OF ECONOMIC BOTANY. 73 



almost identical. It is to that country, wliicli has yielded us so 

 many useful and beautiful plants, that we turn for new vegetables 

 to supplement our present food resources. One of these plants, 

 namely, Stachys, has already been mentioned as rather promis- 

 ing. There are others which are worth examination and perhaps 

 acquisition. 



One of the most convenient places for a preliminary examina- 

 tion of the vegetables of Japan is at the railroad stations on the 

 longer lines — for instance, that running from Tokio to Kobe. For 

 native consumption there are prepared luncheon-boxes of two or 

 three stories, provided with the simple and yet embarrassing 

 chopsticks. It is worth the shock it causes one's nerves to invest 

 in these boxes and try the vegetable contents. The bits of fish, 

 flesh, and fowl which one finds therein can be easily separated and 

 discarded, upon which there will remain a few delicacies. The 

 pervading odor of the box is that of aromatic vinegar. The 

 generous portion of boiled rice is of excellent quality with every 

 grain well softened and distinct, and this without anything else 

 would suffice for a tolerable meal. In the boxes which have 

 fallen under my observation there were sundry boiled roots, 

 shoots, and seeds which were not recognizable by me in their 

 cooked form. Prof. Georgeson,* formerly of Japan, has kindly 

 identified some of these for me, but he says, " There are doubtless 

 many others used occasionally." 



One may find sliced lotus roots, roots of large burdock, lily 

 bulbs, shoots of ginger, pickled green plums, beans of many sorts, 

 boiled chestnuts, nuts of the gingko tree, pickled greens of various 

 kinds, dried cucumbers, and several kinds of sea-weeds. Some of 

 the leaves and roots are cooked in much the same manner as beet 

 roots and beet leaves are by us, and the general efi^ect is not un- 

 appetizing. The boiled shoots are suggestive of only the tougher 

 ends of asparagus. On the whole, I do not look back on Japanese 

 railway luncheons with any longing which would compel me to 

 advocate the indiscriminate introduction of the constituent vege- 

 tables here. 



But when the same vegetables are served in native inns, under 

 more favorable culinary conditions, without the flavor of vinegar 



* Pickled daikon, the large radish, often grated. Ginger-roots — shoga. Beans 

 ( Glycine hispida), many kinds, and prepared in many ways. Beans {DoHrhos culfratus), 

 cooked in rice and mixed with it. Sliced hasu, lotus roots. Lily bulbs, boiled whole and 

 the scales torn off as they are eaten. Pickled green plums (ume-boshi), colored red in the 

 pickle by the leaves of Perilla arguta (shiso). Sliced and dried cucumbers, kiuri. 

 Pieces of gobo — roots of Lappa major. Rakkio — bulbs of AUium Hakeri, boiled in 

 shogu. Grated wasabi — stem of Eutrcma toasabi. Water-cress — midzu-tagarashi (not 

 often). Also sometimes pickled greens of various kinds, and occasionally chestnut-kernels 

 boiled and mixed with a kind of sweet sauce. Nut of the gingko tree. Several kinds of 

 eea- weeds are also very commonly served with the rice. Prof. C. C. Georgeson in letter. 



VOL. XL. — 6 



