g Department Circular 286, U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. 
Forage .—The foliage of the vine is devoured eagerly by cattle and 
poultry, and in some regions where the vine flourishes without un¬ 
usual attention it is used for forage. The plants show no injury 
from repeated cuttings of the new growth. 
Ornamental vine .—-As a porch climber or a covering for screens 
or arbors the chayote provides a very attractive ornamental vine. 
Greens. —The young leaves and tender tips of the vines are utilized 
in the island of Reunion and elsewhere as greens, much as spinach is 
used in this country. Because a _very tough fiber soon forms in the 
growing vine, only the tips of the vines that snap off easily are suit¬ 
able for this purpose. 
Blanched shoots. —Blanched shoots which are used like asparagus 
tips are obtained by forcing seed chayotes placed close together in 
a shallow trench and covered with loose earth or vegetable mold. 
The shoots are cut as soon as they reach the surface. 
Bee plant. —The chayote flowers are provided with 10 nectaries 
each; consequently they are much visited by bees and other insects. 
Since the vines flower profusely throughout the fall months, the 
chayote is likely to be an excellent bee plant for regions where 
it can be grown successfully. 
Chayote straw.—A. very superior silver-white straw suitable for 
the making of ornamental basketry, hats, and other articles is ob¬ 
tained from the chayote vine. Previous to the World War a con¬ 
siderable quantity of this straw was exported annually from the 
island of Reunion to Paris, where it commanded a good price, but 
under present labor conditions the hand labor required for its 
preparation renders the price prohibitive. If some cheap method 
of manufacture could be discovered, chayote straw would doubtless 
become an important commercial product. 
Chayote tubers. —The fleshy underground tubers (PI. II) of 
chayotes are utilized in Guatemala, Mexico, and elsewhere as potatoes 
are used in temperate regions. These tubers are formed during the 
second season’s growth, apparently as a reserve food supply for the 
plant after periods unfavorable to growth. Chayote tubers vary 
greatly in size, sometimes reaching a length of 2 feet or more and a 
diameter of 4 to 5 inches. The tubers are usually harvested after 
the second season’s growth has been completed. It is customary to 
eat the tubers boiled as a part of a vegetable stew or fried in batter, 
with a thin tomato sauce added after cooking. 
Chemical analysis of a Florida-grown tuber dug in January 
shows these tubers to possess a high food value. The fresh material 
was found to contain 16 per cent of carbohydrate (starch and 
sugars) and about 1J per cent of protein. 
Since chayote tubers are generally considered inferior in quality 
to others and more common starchy tubers and can be harvested only 
at considerable risk of destroying the vines, it is advisable when the 
fruit is desired to permit the tubers to remain undisturbed. 
The fruits .—As already indicated, it is as a fall and winter table 
vegetable that the chayote is chiefly valued. The chayote seed seems 
to have no dormant period. Consequently, when fruits become ma¬ 
ture in warm moist regions, the seed begins to protrude by a growth 
of the cotyledons at the blossom end of the fruit, and sprouts often 
form even before the chayotes are picked. This sprouting continues 
