—43— 



much protein, 1.7 as much fat, and 1.6 as much carbo- 

 hydrates. 



It has been shown that it is a good food, and it has 

 been found palatable by most of those who have tested 

 it. But whether it will become a considerable article 

 of diet or not remains to be seen. The love-apple which 

 was once raised in the flower-garden as a plant of beauty 

 is now highly prized as our vegetable, the tomato. Ignor- 

 rance of tastes, habit, and a hesitancy in trying anything 

 new, often prevents one from enjoying some of the best 

 of foods. 



The brake was used by the Indians of the Northwest 

 coast before the introduction of wheat flour, but the 

 part used was the subterranean stem. This was dug up, 

 washed, dried, pounded fine, and the coarse shreddy parts 

 removed by sifting. The starchy powder was used as 

 flour. Its use has been discontinued since the introduc- 

 tion of wheat flour. The writer has also been told that 

 the young shoots of the brake are eaten in parts of 

 France. 



Commercially it is possible that the brake might be 

 canned and sold like asparagus. Should it become a 

 commercial product, the farmer would no longer need 

 to consider it a pest. The season is short, lasting only 

 about three weeks ; but the supply is unlimited, and the 

 product may be had for the collecting. — From an article 

 by Anna C. Dalgity in American Botanist. 



RARE FORMS OF FERNS.— III. 



AX ABERRANT PTERIS AQUILINA PSEUDOCAUDATA. 



Xot many years ago Pteris caudata, a West Indian 

 species, was listed as a native of various parts of the 

 United States, but it is not now believed to grow within 

 our limits unless it may occur in the southern part of 

 Florida. The plant that has caused these various reports 

 to be made is a form of our common bracken which I 



