﻿G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  285 
  

  

  without 
  anything 
  else 
  would 
  suffice 
  for 
  a 
  tolerable 
  meal. 
  In 
  

   the 
  boxes 
  which 
  have 
  fallen 
  under 
  my 
  observation 
  there 
  were 
  

   sundry 
  boiled 
  roots, 
  shoots 
  and 
  seeds 
  which 
  were 
  not 
  recog- 
  

   nizable 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  their 
  cooked 
  form. 
  Professor 
  Georgeson, 
  22 
  

   formerly 
  of 
  Japan, 
  has 
  kindly 
  id 
  entitled 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  for 
  me, 
  

   but 
  he 
  says 
  " 
  there 
  are 
  doubtless 
  many 
  others 
  used 
  occasionally." 
  

  

  One 
  may 
  find 
  sliced 
  Lotus 
  roots, 
  roots 
  of 
  large 
  Burdock, 
  

   Lily 
  bulbs, 
  shoots 
  of 
  Ginger, 
  pickled 
  green 
  Plums, 
  beans 
  of 
  

   many 
  sorts, 
  boiled 
  Chestnuts, 
  nuts 
  of 
  the 
  Gingko 
  tree, 
  pickled 
  

   greens 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  dried 
  cucumbers, 
  and 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   seaweeds. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  roots 
  are 
  cooked 
  in 
  much 
  

   the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  beet-roots 
  and 
  beet 
  leaves 
  are 
  by 
  us, 
  and 
  

   the 
  general 
  effect 
  is 
  not 
  unappetizing. 
  The 
  boiled 
  shoots 
  are 
  

   suggestive 
  of 
  only 
  the 
  tougher 
  ends 
  of 
  asparagus. 
  On 
  the 
  

   whole, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  look 
  back 
  on 
  Japanese 
  railway 
  luncheons 
  with 
  

   any 
  longing 
  which 
  would 
  compel 
  me 
  to 
  advocate 
  the 
  indis- 
  

   criminate 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  constituent 
  vegetables 
  here. 
  

  

  But 
  when 
  the 
  same 
  vegetables 
  are 
  served 
  in 
  native 
  inns, 
  

   under 
  more 
  favorable 
  culinary 
  conditions, 
  without 
  the 
  flavor 
  

   of 
  vinegar 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  pine 
  wood 
  of 
  the 
  luncheon 
  boxes, 
  they 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  worthy 
  of 
  a 
  trial 
  in 
  our 
  horticulture, 
  and 
  I 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  deal 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  in 
  greater 
  detail. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Georgeson, 
  whose 
  advantages 
  for 
  acquiring 
  a 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  useful 
  plants 
  of 
  Japan 
  have 
  been 
  unusually 
  

   good, 
  has 
  placed 
  me 
  under 
  great 
  obligations 
  by 
  communicating 
  

   certain 
  facts 
  regarding 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  promising 
  plants 
  of 
  

   Japan 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  now 
  used 
  here. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  

   several 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  have 
  already 
  attracted 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  

   Agricultural 
  Department 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  Soy 
  Bean 
  {Glycine 
  hispida). 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  known 
  

   here 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  but 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  the 
  early 
  and 
  best 
  

   varieties. 
  These 
  beans 
  replace 
  meat 
  in 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

   people. 
  

  

  Mucuna 
  {Mucuna 
  capitata) 
  and 
  Dolichos 
  {Dolichos 
  cultra- 
  

   tus) 
  are 
  pole 
  beans 
  possessing 
  merit. 
  

  

  Dioscorea; 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  varieties 
  with 
  palatable 
  roots. 
  

   Years 
  ago 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  spoken 
  of 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Gray, 
  as 
  

   possessing 
  "excellent 
  roots, 
  if 
  one 
  could 
  only 
  dig 
  them." 
  

  

  Colocasia 
  antiquorum 
  has 
  tuberous 
  roots, 
  which 
  are 
  nutri- 
  

   tious. 
  

  

  Conojphallus 
  Konjah 
  has 
  a 
  large 
  bulbous 
  root, 
  which 
  is 
  

   sliced, 
  dried 
  and 
  beaten 
  to 
  a 
  powder. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  ingredient 
  in 
  

   cakes. 
  

  

  Aralia 
  cor 
  data 
  is 
  cultivated 
  for 
  the 
  shoots, 
  and 
  used 
  as 
  we 
  

   use 
  Asparagus. 
  

  

  (Enanthe 
  stolonifera 
  and 
  Cryptotcenia 
  Canadensis 
  are 
  pala- 
  

   table 
  salad 
  plants, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  used 
  also 
  as 
  greens. 
  

  

  