LITTLE REGARDED WILD FRUITS 



always been an abundant wild stand-by for fruit 

 pies. Old time Indians used it not only fresh but 

 dried for winter consumption. Lewis and Clarke's 

 journal mentions a berry that is undoubtedly this, 

 which the Indians were observed preserving by 

 pounding masses together into "loaves" of ten to 

 fifteen pounds weight. These would keep sweet 

 throughout the season and would be used as needed 

 by breaking off pieces to be soaked in water and 

 dropped into stews. Strong competitors with man 

 for the berries are the birds and the bears. 



Another western berry that has appealed strongly 

 to Indian tastes but not, so far as I know, to ours, 

 is the fruit of a species of Buckthorn {Rhamnus 

 crocea, Nutt.). Doubtless there is nutrition in the 

 berries, but they possess, according to Dr. Edward 

 Palmer, the peculiar faculty of temporarily tinge- 

 ing red the body of one who consumes them in 

 quantity. He tells a gruesome story of accompany- 

 ing as surgeon a troop of United States soldiers in 

 pursuit of a band of twenty-two Apache Indians in 

 Arizona, who were eventually surprised in their 

 camp and killed outright. The bodies of all were 

 discovered to be beautifully reticulated in red from 

 the juice of the Ehamnus berries on which the 

 Indians bad,- been gorging, the color having been 



91 



