412 



Biology in America 



has establislicd ainoiig liis many agencies for this purpose, the 

 Offi('(^ of Forci*:!! Seed and Plant Introduction of the Uureau 

 of IMant industry in tlie Department of Agriculture, whose 

 duty it is to go into the "uttermost parts of the earth" and 

 bring back to us its treasures. From the Asian steppes to 

 the jungh's of the tropics its exph)r(M-s liave gone, and from 

 the fertih' ish^s of Japan to tlie (k'serts of Arabia, in their 

 search for the useful and the beautiful, to enrich our fields 

 and adorn our dwellings. 



A Single Crown of the Udo after Blanching 

 Cmirtcsy of the I'. S. Bureau of Plant Industry. 



To even name, let alone describe all the manifold varieties 

 of plants whose introduction the Office has attempted, would 

 be out of the question in these pages, but a few of them may 

 be mentioned. 



We are accustomed to think of the bamboo in terms of 

 wicker work or fishing rods, but how many of us realize that 

 the young bamboo shoots, which grow at the rate of a foot a 

 day, are succulent and may be eaten like asparagus tips, while 

 the seeds of some species may be used as grain, and the fruits 

 of others cooked and eaten? How often do we think of the 



