210 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



December, 1911 



but it is not only 

 their eating of the 

 roots that causes 

 trouble, but also 

 the fact that they 

 sometimes loosen 

 the soil about the 

 roots, causing them 

 to dry out, and 

 the vine, perhaps, 

 to die. Whenever 

 you see a ground- 

 mole's track, do not 

 fail to tread the soil 

 back in place. 



Rabbits will some- 

 times eat the bark 

 of vines and other 

 plants during a very 

 heavy winter, when 

 they cannot very 

 well forage. This 



The very tender vines are best laid down, buried, and trie roots protected by a light mulch 



causes the vines to 

 die slowly the fol- 

 lowing season. 

 There is not much 

 to be done to pre- 

 vent this beyond 

 wrapping the base 

 of the plants with 

 tar paper in the fall. 

 The liability to 

 attack from rabbits 

 or mice is much in- 

 creased by the use 

 of a litter around 

 the base. Wherever 

 protection of this 

 sort is given there 

 is danger of injury 

 from these rodents 

 and considerable 

 care must be exer- 

 cised. 



Uncommon Vegetables Worth Growing-By J. e. Downing, 



Washington, 

 D. C. 



INTRODUCING SOME UNUSUAL AND NEWER KINDS THAT ARE REALLY DESERVING OF BETTER AC- 

 QUAINTANCE IN AMATEURS' GARDENS — SOME THAT HAVE UNUSUAL MERITS AND HAVE BEEN TRIED OUT 



NEW vegetables — that are really new 

 plants, not merely new or improved 

 varieties of those that are already in every- 

 day use — are few and far between nowa- 

 days and those few find it hard to gain a 

 trial. The public is critical, and properly 

 so, and the new comer to justify a trial 

 must show reasonable possibilities of fill- 

 ing some gap or of rendering some service 

 that our everyday vegetables do not meet. 

 To appeal popularly a new comer must 

 serve the same purpose as some older one, 

 but under conditions that are not favor- 

 able to the latter — in other words it 

 must act somewhat as a new variety or 

 new type of an older favorite. 



Our National Department of Agricul- 

 ture has expended much effort in search- 

 ing the world for new edible plants that 

 would do just this thing and though 

 many have been tried but few are bidding 

 fair to become regular additions to our 

 list. There are other obstacles to overcome, 

 too. 



"Americans taste with their eyes," 

 some one has said and this appears to be 

 a truthful interpretation. People are 

 quite generally impressed with what looks 

 attractive and appetizing without regard 

 to how excellent a modest food plant may 

 be when properly prepared; and mere size, 

 will often make a stronger appeal to the 

 palate than intrinsic quality, seemingly. 



Another reason that has a direct bearing 

 on the present variety of available food 

 plants is to be found in the pooular aver- 

 sion to anything which requires much 

 time or attention in its preparation. The 

 average housewife likes best to travel 

 along the lines of least resistance in the 

 kitchen and anything not on the regular 



vegetable list is passed by, unless through 

 some recommendation it is given a trial. 

 The consuming public travels very much 

 in the same rut year after year. During 

 a season abroad food plants peculiar to 

 foreign countries may be found that are 

 especially agreeable. Upon returning the 

 tourist may inquire at home for them. A 



Dasheens. for growing as a substitute for potatoes, 

 on land that is too wet for them 



reply in the negative usually ends further 

 effort. 



Then there are food plants that have 

 had their day and are now little known or 

 have disappeared altogether. The Orange 

 watermelon is an instance of a variety 

 which was very popular fifty years ago. 

 The outer rind of this could be separated 

 from the flesh so that the latter retained 

 its form as well as a peeled orange. It 

 made a very attractive novelty as a table 

 ornament and was quite generally grown, 

 but is not listed in any seed catalogue 

 to-day. 



The rat-tail radish, is another plant 

 that is now practically unknown. It 

 is native to Java. The pod was the edi- 

 ble portion, long, slender and rat-tail in 

 shape. It was excellent and grown every- 

 where years ago, but is hardly known 

 to the present generation. 



There is no good reason why the variety 

 of food plants in the United States cannot 

 be increased. There are a number of 

 excellent plants which are deserving of 

 wider cultivation. Some of them are 

 referred to now: 



DASHEENS — A TROPICAL POTATO. 



It is estimated that something like a 

 half million acres of wet land now aban- 

 doned along the Atlantic coast can be made 

 to produce a staple article of food in the 

 form of dasheens, a tropical tuber very 

 similar to our common white potato. 



It has been shown that in South Caro- 

 lina dasheens grow well on light wet soils 

 not now occupied by any culture whatever, 

 lying adjacent to rice fields. They can 

 also be grown successfully in the frostless 

 or even mild wintered portions of th«? 



