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THL MUSEUM. 



count of its too evident inclination to 

 appropriate the land of the farmer, is, 

 nevertheless, very handsome, and pro- 

 duces its bright, opaque blue flowers 

 in great profusion, affording a pleasing 

 contrast to the Golden-rod which bears 

 it company. The unbotanical may 

 recognize Chicor}' by its strap-shaped 

 corolla, beautifully notched at the 

 apex and by its color, which once seen 

 will always be remembered, for it is 

 probably not matched exactly by any 

 other plant. 



This is one of the plants, which not 

 indigenous in America, have come as 

 tramps and made themselves at home 

 with a freedom that is not always 

 pleasing to the agriculturist; but it is 

 not always to be regarded as a weed, 

 for its cultivation is found profitable 

 and promises to form a quite import- 

 ant element in the agriculture of some 

 sections in the near future. The long 

 top root is the part employed and has 

 proved to be the best article for adul- 

 terating coffee which has been intro- 

 duced. Immense quantities of the 

 plant are raised annually in Yorkshire, 

 England, but the climate of California 

 has been found so well adapted to its 

 cultivation that it is not improbable 

 that it will form a leading industry 

 within a few years. 



The crop is harvested in late au- 

 tumn, the roots washed and dried and 

 the tops saved for fodder. When 

 thoroughly dry, the roots are chopped 

 fine and roasted, after which they are 

 either powdered or granulated and 

 mixed with coffee. The deleterious 

 effects of Chicory on the system are 

 greatly exaggerated and the general 

 opinion of physicians seems to be now 

 that it is less harmful than coffee and 



when mixed with the latter counteracts 

 its evil effects. 



One would expect that the greed of 

 man would be satisfied when he had 

 succeeded in adulterating coffee, but 

 he must needs go one step further and 

 adulterate the adulterant. Chicory is 

 cheap but there are other substances 

 that are cheaper and Yankee ingenuity 

 has been called into account to find 

 them. Following is a list of the most 

 common substitutes for Chicory, and 

 it is not to be doubted that some of 

 them are less innocent in their effects 

 than the real article; roasted beans, 

 peas, wheat, rye, barley, acorns, par- 

 snips, turnips, carrots, horse chestnuts 

 and such other appetizing things as 

 castaway biscuits, exhausted tar, log- 

 wood, oak-bark powder, mahogany 

 dust and the livers obtainable from 

 slaughter houses. 



Aside from its drinking qualities. 

 Chicory is very useful for forage, par- 

 ticularly in dry, sandy regions, for it is 

 capable of withstanding considerable 

 drought. Cattle relish it and in France 

 the human as well as the bovine race 

 esteems it and the leaves are exten- 

 sively used for salads, while the roots 

 are palatable when treated like salsify. 



The flowers of Chicory are always 

 turned towards the sun and in allusion 

 to the fact the plant has the German 

 name of Sonnenwendel. It was for- 

 merly believed to possess wonderful 

 medical properties. In Lonicer's 

 "Krauterbuch," published in 1768, we 

 find it was esteemed of wonderful value 

 in the cure of gout and all stomach, 

 liver and heart troubles. 



The Germans have a tradition to ex- 

 plain the origin of Chicory, which 

 states that a beautiful, blue-eyed 



