

NEW FOOD PLANTS. 373 



des prairies of the Canadians, and furnishes an invaluable food to 

 the Indians." There are several species of Psoralia, \iz.,esculenta, 

 argopliylla, cuspidata, and lanceolate. 



The prairie turnip grows on the high dry prairies, one or two 

 together, in size from that of a small hen's egg to that of a goose 

 egg, and of the same form. They have a thick black or brown 

 bark, but are nearly pure white inside, with very little moisture. 

 They are met with four to eight inches below the surface, and are 

 dug by the women with a long pointed stick, forced into the 

 ground and used as a lever. They are eaten boiled and mashed 

 like a turnip, or are split open and dried for future use. In this 

 state they resemble pieces of chalk. It is said that when thus 

 dried they may be ground into flour, and that they make a very 

 palatable and nutritious bread. M. Lamare Picot, a French 

 naturalist, has lately incurred a very considerable expense to 

 obtain the seed, which he has carried to France, believing that it 

 is capable of cultivation, and may form a substitute both for potato 

 and wheat. 



The wild bean is found in all parts of the valleys where the 

 land is moist and rich. It is of the size of a large white bean, 

 with a rich and very pleasant flavor. When used in a stew, I have 

 thought it superior to any garden vegetable I had ever tasted. 

 The Indians are very fond of them, and pigeons get fat on them in 

 spring. The plant is a slender vine, from two to four feet in. 

 height, with small pods two to three inches long, containing three 

 to five small beans. The pod dries and opens, the beans fall to 

 the ground, and in spring take root and grow again. The beans 

 on the ground are gathered by the Indians, who sometimes find a 

 peck at once, gathered by mice for their winter store. 



There are also several kinds of edible roots growing in the ponds 

 or small lakes, which are gathered by the Indians for food. 



The psui-cinh-chah, or swamp potato, is found in mud and water, 

 about three feet deep. The leaf is as large as the cabbage leaf. 

 The stem has but one leaf, which has, as it were, two horns or 

 points. The root is obtained by the Indian women ; they wade 

 into the water and loosen the root with their feet, which then 

 floats, and is picked up and thrown into a canoe. It is of an ob- 

 long shape, of a whitish yellow, with four black rings around it, 

 of a slightly pungent taste, and not disagreeable when eaten with 

 salt or meat. 



The psui-cJiaTi, with a stem and leaf similar to the last, has a root 

 about the size of a large hickory-nut. They grow' in deep water, 

 and being smaller are much more difficult to get, but the Indians 

 prefer them ; they have an agreeable taste, and are harder and 

 firmer when cooked. Both these roots are found in large quan- 

 tities in the musk-rat lodges, stored by them for wiuter use. 



The ta-waJi-pah, with a stem, leaf, and yellow flower, like the pond- 

 lily, is found in the lakes, in water and mud, from four to five feet 

 deep. The Indian women dive for them, and frequently obtain as 

 many as they are able to carry. The root is from one to two feet 



