22 BULLETIN" 468, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
food of the Indian before America was discovered. Many farmers 
in this country are prejudiced against the Jerusalem artichoke 
because it spreads so rapidly and becomes a weed; but in Europe, 
and to a certain extent in the United States, it is considered a 
valuable plant, since the forage may be fed to stock, and the 
abundant tubers are useful as a vegetable and also for feeding 
farm animals. The bright-yellow flowers at the top of the tall 
stalks no doubt help to make the plant welcome. It is often allowed 
to grow on the edge of a garden or some similar place, and the tubers 
are dug for home use. They are also fairly common in market in 
certain localities. In flavor the tubers slightly resemble the true 
artichoke, which doubtless accounts for their name. They contain 
on an average 78.7 per cent water, 2.5 per cent protein, 0.2 per cent 
fat, 17.5 per cent total carbohydrates, of which 0.8 per cent is crude 
fiber, and 1.1 per cent ash. Judged by these figures the artichoke 
tubers are quite similar in general composition to potatoes (see p. 
5). They differ very markedly, however, in respect to the nature 
of the carbohydrates present, inulin and levulin (which are chemi- 
cally closely related to starch), and a considerable amount of pectose 
bodies replacing the starch which is characteristic of potatoes. Little 
is known regarding the digestibility of the typical carbohydrates 
which these tubers contain, but recent investigation indicates that they 
do not differ materially from starch in this respect. Jerusalem arti- 
chokes used in various ways as a vegetable give a pleasant and whole- 
some variety to the diet, particularly as they are not injured by frost 
and may be dug in the early spring when fresh vegetables are not 
very common. As the plant is very prolific and easily grown, the 
Jerusalem artichoke is not an expensive vegetable. The tubers may 
be boiled or steamed like turnips, creamed or fried like parsnips, or 
used for making soups and in other similar ways. An old-fashioned 
way of serving them is to slice the raw root, cover with vinegar, and 
serve as a relish. 
SOME TROPICAL STARCH-BEARING ROOTS. 
In the Tropics a very large proportion of the carbohydrates of the 
diet of both native and European residents is furnished by starch- 
bearing roots, such as the cassava, yam, dasheen, yautia, and taro. 
Mention may be made also of stachys (a curiously ribbed Japanese 
tuber long known in the United States, but chiefly as a dietary curi- 
osity). Most of these roots are not common vegetables in the United 
States, though some or all are sold in the oriental quarters of our 
cities and sometimes in a limited way in other markets, and the cas- 
sava and dasheen are grown in the Southern States. In Porto Kico 
and our other island dependencies, such starch -bearing roots are very 
