THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN HALF-TONE 



Indian woman shelling acorns, to be ground into 



meal Frontispiece 



FACING 

 PAGE 



Prickly Pear (Opuntia tuna}, one of the important food 



plants of the desert regions 18 



An Indian of the Great Lakes Region threshing wild rice 



by means of dasher-like stick 46 



Red Maple (Acer rubrum], the source of a dark blue dye 



in vogue among the Pennsylvania colonists .... 54 



A Western mountain Indian's storage baskets for preserving 

 acorns and pine-nuts. They are elevated to forestall the 

 depredations of rodents 70 



A Southwestern desert hillside, which, in spite of its desolate 

 look, bears plants yielding food, soap, textile fiber and 

 drinking water. The man in the foreground is cutting 

 mescal 90 



Gathering tunas, fruit .of the nopal cactus, California . . 108 



California Fan Palm ( Washingtonia) , which furnishes food, 



clothing and building materials 112 



Cereus giganteus Sahuaro producing a fruit that is used 



for wine, syrup and butter 112 



Southwestern Indian cutting mescal (Agave deserti) for 

 baking 136 



Echinocactus, a vegetable water barrel of the Southwestern 

 deserts 158 



A California Soap Root, Chenopodium Californicum . . 158 



