20 BULLETIN 123, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



3. Give general directions for choosing, cleaning, and cooking dandelion 

 greens. 



4. Give a list of wild plants in your vicinity suitable for this purpose. How 

 many have you tried? 



5. Explain the shrinkage common with such foods. 



6. Why is fat meat often cooked with plants of this type? 



7. Give general directions for cooking cabbage or cauliflower. 



8. How many asparagus beds in your neighborhood? Can you give method 

 of preparing canned asparagus? 



9. What reasons for use of white sauce with cooked cabbage, celery, etc.? 



10. Give directions for making white sauce. 



LESSON IV. BULBS. 



THE ONION TRIBE. 



Next to leaves and stalks, bulbs may be studied ; they may be con- 

 sidered as a form half way between stems and roots. 



A bulb is a kind of bud, spheroidal in shape, and from the botan- 

 ist's standpoint consists of a cluster of leaves, modified in form and 

 tightly folded together, one over the other. Usually they form above 

 or just below the top of the ground. In some cases the young bulblets 

 appear in the axils of the leaves (tiger lily) or at the blossom, as in 

 top onions. Bulbs are characteristic of the lily family, which in- 

 cludes some of the most ornamental plants of the flower garden — 

 hyacinths, lilies, narcissus, and tulips, for example. The American 

 Indians used certain wild bulbs, including wild onions, as food, and 

 those of some garden lilies are eaten in Japan and China and are 

 also sold in Chinese shops in American cities. From the culinary 

 viewpoint, however, the most important of the bulbous plants are 

 the onion and some of its relatives. 



The derivation of the word " onion " is significant, indicating the 

 oneness of the bulb or the close union of the leaves and stems under- 

 ground. The onion appears to have been a native of Asia and to 

 have been used by the human race from the most ancient times and 

 is mentioned in the Bible and in old Egyptian writings. 



Onions owe their flavor to a volatile, oil-like compound containing 

 sulphur, which has been carefully studied by chemists. It is a matter 

 of common experience that onions act as a laxative. To this and the 

 sulphur-yielding material they contain are no doubt due the medicinal 

 properties commonly assigned to them. They are very succulent, but 

 nevertheless supply some nutritive material, chiefly carbohydrates 

 and sulphur and other mineral matter. 



There is a large number of varieties of onions and each is useful 

 in its place. Many kinds are grown by American farmers and gar- 

 deners, and the native crop supplies the bulk of the onions found in 

 the markets. The tiny pearl and button onions are convenient for 

 salads or pickles where only a hint of flavor is wanted. From the 



