﻿284 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  (3) 
  A 
  tuber-bearing 
  relative 
  of 
  our 
  common 
  Hedge-nettle, 
  

   or 
  Stackys, 
  is 
  now 
  cultivated 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  at 
  Crosnes 
  in 
  

   France, 
  for 
  the 
  Paris 
  market. 
  Its 
  name 
  in 
  Paris 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  

   the 
  locality 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  grown 
  for 
  use. 
  Although 
  its 
  

   native 
  country 
  is 
  Japan, 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  by 
  some 
  seedsmen 
  Chinese 
  

   Artichoke. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  stage 
  of 
  cultivation, 
  the 
  tubers 
  are 
  

   small 
  and 
  are 
  rather 
  hard 
  to 
  keep, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  " 
  that 
  both 
  

   of 
  these 
  defects 
  can 
  be 
  overcome 
  or 
  evaded." 
  21 
  Experiments 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  this 
  species 
  a 
  valuable 
  addition 
  to 
  onr 
  

   vegetables. 
  We 
  must 
  next 
  look 
  at 
  certain 
  other 
  neglected 
  

   possibilities. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Edward 
  Palmer, 
  20 
  whose 
  energy 
  as 
  a 
  collector 
  and 
  acute- 
  

   ness 
  as 
  an 
  observer 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  you 
  all, 
  has 
  brought 
  together 
  

   very 
  interesting 
  facts 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  food-plants 
  of 
  our 
  North 
  

   American 
  aborigines. 
  Among 
  the 
  plants 
  described 
  by 
  him 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  which 
  merit 
  careful 
  investigation. 
  Against 
  all 
  

   of 
  them, 
  however, 
  there 
  lie 
  the 
  objections 
  mentioned 
  before, 
  

   namely 
  : 
  

  

  (1) 
  The 
  long 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  their 
  improvement, 
  and 
  

  

  (2) 
  The 
  difficulty 
  of 
  making 
  them 
  acceptable 
  to 
  the 
  commu- 
  

   nity, 
  involving 
  

  

  (3) 
  The 
  risk 
  of 
  total 
  and 
  mortifying 
  failure. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  notes 
  to 
  this 
  address 
  the 
  more 
  prominent 
  of 
  these 
  

   are 
  enumerated. 
  

  

  In 
  1854 
  the 
  late 
  Professor 
  Gray 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  relations 
  which 
  exist 
  between 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  Japan 
  and 
  

   those 
  of 
  our 
  Eastern 
  coast. 
  You 
  will 
  remember 
  that 
  he 
  not 
  

   only 
  proved 
  that 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  regions 
  had 
  a 
  common 
  

   origin, 
  but 
  also 
  emphasized 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  countries 
  are 
  almost 
  identical. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  that 
  country 
  which 
  

   has 
  yielded 
  us 
  so 
  many 
  useful 
  and 
  beautiful 
  plants 
  that 
  we 
  turn 
  

   for 
  new 
  vegetables 
  to 
  supplement 
  our 
  present 
  food-resources. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these 
  plants, 
  namely, 
  Stachys, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  as 
  rather 
  promising. 
  There 
  are 
  others 
  which 
  are 
  worth 
  

   examination 
  and 
  perhaps 
  acquisition. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  convenient 
  places 
  for 
  a 
  preliminary 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  the 
  vegetables 
  of 
  Japan 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  railroad 
  stations 
  on 
  

   the 
  longer 
  lines, 
  for 
  instance, 
  that 
  running 
  from 
  Tokio 
  to 
  Kobe. 
  

   For 
  native 
  consumption 
  there 
  are 
  prepared 
  luncheon 
  boxes 
  of 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  stories, 
  provided 
  with 
  the 
  simple 
  and 
  yet 
  embar- 
  

   rassing 
  chopsticks. 
  It 
  is 
  worth 
  the 
  shock 
  it 
  causes 
  one's 
  nerves 
  

   to 
  invest 
  in 
  these 
  boxes 
  and 
  try 
  the 
  vegetable 
  contents. 
  The 
  

   bits 
  of 
  fish, 
  flesh 
  and 
  fowl 
  which 
  one 
  finds 
  therein 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  

   separated 
  and 
  discarded, 
  upon 
  which 
  there 
  will 
  remain 
  a 
  few 
  

   delicacies. 
  The 
  pervading 
  odor 
  of 
  the 
  box 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  aromatic 
  

   vinegar. 
  The 
  generous 
  portion 
  of 
  boiled 
  rice 
  is 
  of 
  excellent 
  

   quality 
  with 
  every 
  grain 
  well 
  softened 
  and 
  distinct, 
  and 
  this 
  

  

  