22 BULLETIN 468, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



food of the Indian before America was discovered. Many farmers 

 in this country are prejudiced against the Jerusalem artichoke 

 because it spreads so rapidly and becomes a weed; but in Europe, 

 and to a certain extent in the United States, it is considered a 

 valuable plant, since the forage may be fed to stock, and the 

 abundant tubers are useful as a vegetable and also for feeding 

 farm animals. The bright-yeljow flowers at the top of the tall 

 stalks no doubt help to make the plant welcome. It is often allowed 

 to grow on the edge of a garden or some similar place, and the tubers 

 are dug for home use. They are also fairly common in market in 

 certain localities. In flavor the tubers slightly resemble the true 

 artichoke, which doubtless accounts for their name. They contain 

 on an average 78.7 per cent water, 2.5 per cent protein, 0.2 per cent 

 fat, 17.5 per cent total carbohydrates, of which 0.8 per cent is crude 

 fiber, and 1.1 per cent ash. Judged by these figures the artichoke 

 tubers are quite similar in general composition to potatoes (see p. 

 5). They differ very markedly, however, in respect to the nature 

 of the carbohydrates present, inulin and levulin (which are chemi- 

 cally closely related to starch), and a considerable amount of pectose 

 bodies replacing the starch which is characteristic of potatoes. Little 

 is known regarding the digestibility of the typical carbohydrates 

 which these tubers contain, but recent investigation indicates that they 

 do not differ materially from starch in this respect. Jerusalem arti- 

 chokes used in various ways as a vegetable give a pleasant and whole- 

 some variety to the diet, particularly as they are not injured by frost 

 and may be dug in the early spring when fresh vegetables are not 

 very common. As the plant is very prolific and easily grown, the 

 Jerusalem artichoke is not an expensive vegetable. The tubers may 

 be boiled or steamed like turnips, creamed or fried like parsnips, or 

 used for making soups and in other similar ways. An old-fashioned 

 way of serving them is to slice the raw root, cover with vinegar, and 

 serve as a relish. 



SOME TROPICAL STARCH-BEARING ROOTS. 



In the Tropics a very large proportion of the carbohydrates of the 

 diet of both native and European residents is furnished by starch- 

 bearing roots, such as the cassava, yam, dasheen, yautia, and taro. 

 Mention may be made also of stachys (a curiously ribbed Japanese 

 tuber long known in the United States, but chiefly as a dietary curi- 

 osity). Most of these roots are not common vegetables in the United 

 States, though some or all are sold in the oriental quarters of our 

 cities and sometimes in a limited way in other markets, and the cas- 

 sava and dasheen are grown in the Southern States. In Porto Rico 

 and our other island dependencies, such starch-bearing roots are very 



