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  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  little 
  hope, 
  if 
  any, 
  that 
  we 
  shall 
  obtain 
  from 
  the 
  

   hotter 
  climates 
  for 
  our 
  southern 
  territory 
  new 
  species, 
  of 
  merit. 
  

   The 
  native 
  markets 
  in 
  the 
  tropical 
  cities, 
  like 
  Colombo, 
  Batavia, 
  

   Singapore 
  and 
  Saigon, 
  are 
  rich 
  in 
  fruits, 
  but 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  

   plants 
  bearing 
  these, 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  plants 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  wholly 
  

   in 
  established 
  lines 
  of 
  cultivation, 
  such, 
  for 
  instance, 
  as 
  members 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gourd 
  and 
  Night-shade 
  families. 
  

  

  Before 
  we 
  leave 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  our 
  coming 
  vegetables, 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  well 
  to 
  note 
  a 
  naive-caution 
  enjoined 
  by 
  Yilmorin 
  in 
  his 
  

   work, 
  Les 
  Plantes 
  Potageres. 
  23 
  

  

  "Finally," 
  he 
  says, 
  "we 
  conclude 
  the 
  article 
  devoted 
  to 
  each 
  

   plant 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  uses 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  which 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  used. 
  

   In 
  many 
  cases 
  such 
  remarks 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  idle 
  words, 
  

   and 
  yet 
  it 
  would 
  sometimes 
  have 
  been 
  useful 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  

   when 
  new 
  plants 
  were 
  cultivated 
  by 
  us 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time. 
  For 
  

   instance, 
  the 
  giant 
  edible 
  Burdock 
  of 
  Japan 
  {Lappa 
  edulis) 
  

   was 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  served 
  up 
  on 
  our 
  tables 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  wretchedly 
  

   poor 
  Spinach, 
  because 
  people 
  would 
  cook 
  the 
  leaves, 
  whereas, 
  

   in 
  its 
  native 
  country, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  cultivated 
  for 
  its 
  tender 
  fleshy 
  

   roots." 
  

  

  I 
  trust 
  you 
  are 
  not 
  discouraged 
  at 
  this 
  outlook 
  for 
  our 
  coming 
  

   vegetables. 
  

  

  Two 
  groups 
  of 
  improvable 
  food-plants 
  may 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  

   before 
  we 
  pass 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  class, 
  namely, 
  edible 
  fungi 
  and 
  the 
  

   beverage 
  plants. 
  All 
  botanists 
  who 
  have 
  given 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  

   matter 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Curtis 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina 
  that 
  

   we 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  unutilized 
  mushrooms 
  an 
  immense 
  amount 
  of 
  

   available 
  nutriment 
  of 
  a 
  delicious 
  quality. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  

   that 
  other 
  fungi 
  than 
  our 
  common 
  " 
  edible 
  mushroom 
  " 
  will 
  by 
  

   and 
  by 
  be 
  subjected 
  to 
  careful 
  selection. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  beverage-plants, 
  Tea, 
  Coffee 
  and 
  Chocolate, 
  

   are 
  all 
  attracting 
  the 
  assiduous 
  attention 
  of 
  cultivators. 
  The 
  

   first 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  is 
  extending 
  its 
  range 
  at 
  a 
  marvellous 
  rate 
  

   of 
  rapidity 
  through 
  India 
  and 
  Ceylon 
  ; 
  the 
  second 
  is 
  threatened 
  

   by 
  the 
  pests 
  which 
  have 
  almost 
  exterminated 
  it 
  in 
  Ceylon, 
  but 
  

   a 
  new 
  species, 
  with 
  crosses 
  therefrom, 
  is 
  promising 
  to 
  resist 
  

   them 
  successfully 
  ; 
  the 
  third, 
  Chocolate, 
  is 
  every 
  year 
  passing 
  

   into 
  lands 
  farther 
  from 
  its 
  original 
  home. 
  To 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  

   added 
  the 
  Kola, 
  of 
  a 
  value 
  as 
  yet 
  not 
  wholly 
  determined, 
  and 
  

   others 
  are 
  to 
  augment 
  the 
  short 
  list. 
  

  

  III. 
  Fruits. 
  

  

  Botanically 
  speaking, 
  the 
  cereal 
  grains 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  

   spoken, 
  are 
  true 
  fruits, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  are 
  ripened 
  ovaries, 
  but 
  

   for 
  all 
  practical 
  purposes 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  seeds. 
  The 
  

  

  