THE NEW FODDER PLANT. 



for purely decorative purposes. The young, white 

 shoots are eatable, but they do not rival asparagus, 

 though its splendid foliage may be made use of for 

 garnishing dessert and for packing fruit. Moreover, 

 the experiments of M.Doumet-Adansonon the forage 

 uses of our Polygoneae transmitted to the Academie 

 des Sciences of Paris by M, Duchartre, and the com- 

 munications I have made to the Societe Nationale 

 d' Agriculture of France have brought the plant into 

 notice, and called the attention of farmers to it. The 

 Sacaline was discovered by the Russian explorer, 

 Maximowicz, in the Isle of Saghalin, situated in the 

 Sea of Okhotsk, between Japan and Siberia, a mod- 

 erately large island, ceded to Russia by Japan in 



The favorite, because quickest means of propagation 

 is by setting the young plant, but in order to give our 

 readers an opportunity to thoroughly test the Sacaline, 

 we have made arrangements with the fortunate in- 

 troducer, A. Blanc, of Philadelphia, for a supply of 

 the seeds, a packet of which we will send gratis and 

 prepaid to every reader of THE IRRIGATION AGE who 

 has paid, or shall soon pay, his subscription for 1895. 

 All applications should be made direct to the office 

 of THE AGE. 



M. Blanc writes us that we should sound a warning 

 that some seedsmen last season were badly "fooled' 5 ' 

 by certain parties palming off upon them seeds of 

 P. Cuspidatum, which is a comparatively worthless 



SACALINE GROWING ON A DRY ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND ON WET LANDS. 



exchange for the Kurile Archipelago. In 1869, Edou- 

 ard Andre noticed this new introduction, in the Jar- 

 din d'Acclimatation of Moscow, where it was exceed- 

 ingly decorative, and brought it into France, telling 

 us of its vigorous growth both above and below 

 ground. The roots branch on all sides, and pass hori- 

 zontally from the rhizomes, penetrating the hardest 

 soils and giving origin to new shoots which further 

 increase the size of the clump. The stems are num- 

 erous and closely set; they vegetate early, and are not 

 long in attaining a height of nearly ten feet. Small, 

 long, zigzag ramifications develop in the middle and 

 at the top of the luxuriant plant." 



Thus we have tried to give a fair consensus of the 

 published opinions on this important introduction. 



species of the same genus. But these seedsmen sell 

 the spurious seeds (not sacaline at all) at a very low 

 price, while the true sort is not sold at wholesale 

 at less than 825 a pound, and when firsf introduced 

 sold at above 81,000 per pound. As the supply in- 

 creases, from season to season, the price lowers of 

 course, but is still held at a high figure, because it is in 

 very great demand. 



This use of P. Cuspidatum is most unfortunate 

 as it spreads freely, and as it is claimed to be a bad 

 weed, is likely to work great harm where planted, 

 for itself, and because it is apt to reflect upon the 

 true sacaline for which it was bought. A complete 

 illustrated pamphlet on sacaline will be sent on ap- 

 plication to Mr. Blanc as above. 



