THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



69 



bear when not over ten feet high. Since writing the above, 

 I find a prairie ash not over ten or twelve years old bearing 

 fruit in Hastings in front of the Rectory wallv. — Rev. J. M. 

 Bates, Red Cloud, Nehr. [We had our suspicions about some 

 of the statements made in the article criticised but, felt sure 

 that if they were open to question our readers would discover 

 them. We are agreeably surprised and pleased to find how 

 carefully this magazine is read by scientists and scholars whose 

 time is valuable. The best part of tliis matter is that we copied 

 the 'article in question not from the original source but from 

 a magazine that copied it and the readers of neither mag'azine 

 took exception to the statements. All of which proves — but 

 why make the other magazines jealous? — Ed.] 



Useful Pigweeds. — Apropos of the interesting note in 

 the February number of the American Botanist concerning 

 quinoa and other species of Cheiio podium, I might mention 

 the use by the Pacific Coast Indians of at least two species 

 of the same homely genus. One of these, C. Calif orniciim has 

 a root with pronounced saponaceous qualities and on being 

 crushed in water it forms a lather. This was used as a soap 

 and the plant is known as soap-plant by Americans familiar 

 with this characteristic. The seeds of this species, as well as 

 those of C. Fremonti (abundant in Oregon), were also used 

 for pinole, being toasted and ground into flour to which 

 water was then added to make an edible mush. Probably 

 under cultivation these plants could be made a valuable source 

 of human food, just as quinoa has been. — C. F. Saunders. [In 

 the current number of the National Geographical Magazine, 

 O. F. Cook writes that tw^o species of Cheno podium are 

 regularly planted for food by the Peruvians and that these 

 are the only seed crops grown in the elevated districts that 

 are too cold for corn. Ohe of these, the real quinoa, grows to 

 a height of three or four feet and is chiefly valued for making 

 beer. Only the white seeded variety is considered edible, the 



