Hammond Times, Volume 16, Number 107, Hammond, Lake County, 24 October 1922 — Page 10

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Uncle Sam, Always On the Alert forNewVege'ables To Tempt the American Palate, Has Made Many "Finds" A Few Notable Examples.

By NORMAN HE next time you hear your neighbor boasting: that ha knows ail there is to know about vege tables, just ask him if he ever ate a dasheen. If this fails to stump him, try him with the chayote, the udo, the Pal Tsal or the twenty-live pound radish. All of these except the radish are vegetable discoveries which may be regarded as Uncle Sam's gifts to the American people. The introduction of new food products is one of the Government's most highly specialized activities. It is a line of work which is making constant contribution to American agricultural resources, and which is steadily opening new channels for increasing the nation's crop values. Incidentally it is giving us many new and delicious articles of diet for the extension of our daily bill-of-fare. The work involves the labors cf men who are at once explorers, scientists and practical farmers. They are men who know vegetable values, who are quick to recognize the possibilities a strange growth may have for American adoption, and who know how to go about doing whatever may be necessary to bring this adoption about. From exploration and discovery to introduction, raising and daily use these men know how to meet the unusual vegetable on its own ground literally and figuratively and how to Induce it to become an American citizen. Let it be made clear that meeting the vegetable on its own ground Is no mere figure of speech. This is actually the first step of the experts in seed and plant introduction of the United States Department of Agriculture. The plant explorers of the Department visit remote regions never dreamed of by Marco Palo. Cortez or Christopher Columbus. The one aim of these traveling scientists is to lo , ft

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Lady Diana Manners-"The Storm" -"The Five Dollar Baby" -"What's Wrong V ith the Women?""The Frozen North" Natalie Johnson.

ADY DIANA MANNERS, the famed English beauty, who made her film debut in the color phoI toplay "The Glorious Adventure," had an immediate encounter with motion picture realism when she was cast with Victor McLaglan, an exprizefighter, to play opposite her. In the picture the heroine marries a condemned criminal as a device to rid herself of personal debts, since the criminal and the debts usually get extinguished promptly by the rope. However, in the film the criminal dodges the rope and claims his bride. McLaglan. before the camera, had to he extremely rough with the aristocratic Lady Diana. She Is said to have amassed a considerable number of bruises gamely while being maltreated for the screen's sake. "The $5 Baby" The story concerns the tribulations of a pawnbroker and hia ward, whom he calls Ruth (Viola Dana). She has become very dear to him, and her attachment for him is likewise great. He is stunned when he is confronted by the man who had pawned

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cate strange vegetable products of definite value and import them for the beneiit of the people of the United States. To them, the discovery of an important new food product is as much of a triumph as the location of a new comet by an astronomer. The Dasheen One of the notable achievements of these specialists was the addition of the dasheen to the list of American food crops of major value and importance. The dasheen is a starchy root crop, closely akin to the potato in food value and general characteristics, and possessed of the one great advantage that it will thrive where potato raising is under severe handicap. This attribute makes the dasheen especially valuable to the South Atlantic and Gulf States, in which there are large areas of low lands with soil too moist for the successful growth of potatoes. To these States the introduction of the dasheen has given a new vegetable product which can be grown more freely than any other food crop. As pictured herewith the dasheen may be thought to have more or less resemblance to a bomb or an Edam cheese, as to shape and exterior appearance. Its composition is similar to that of the white potato, though firmer and containing about one and one-half times the protein and starch of the potato. When properly grown, and prepared for the table by baking or boiling, this vegetable has a rich nutty flavor, and In this respect and in its dryness and mealiness it suggests the chestnut. Dasheens are prepared, in general, like potatoes, and are cooked for the same length of time, or slightly less. Baking and boiling are the most commonly used methods of cooking, but research workers of the Department of Agriculture have evolved almost as many ways of cooking the dasheen as u, v u7 y f the infant child for five dollars, eighteen years before. As the claimant has paid the required ten cents Interest each month, it seerns that Uncle Ben must part with Ruth. But the young girl overhears what occurs between her foster father and the stranger, and by a quick bit of thinking, puts an entirely new element into the situation. Suffice it to say that she outwits the claimant and gains everything that she desires. "The Storm" David Stewart, blase rounder of the cities, has seen "too much" of women, and is beginning to love the straight, clean Northwoods. He saves Burr Winton. a great, honest hulk of a woodsman, from robbery and possible injury at the hands of a gang in a trading post where Burr came for supplies. A friendship develops which results in Burr taking David back with him to his valley trapping domain, where for four long months snow will hem them in where women never come a pleasure for the jaded David. But a few days before the snow Burr is visited unexpectedly by Fachard. a

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housewives use in the preparation of potatoes. Under these recipes dasheens may be riced. flaked, stuffed, scalloped, home-fried or French-fried, or made into Saratoga chips, dasheen crisps, fritters or salad. They are also used as stuffing for fowl and other meats. The raising of dasheens in the South has become an important industry, and one that is rapidly growing, as people learn that it is an article of food and not a variety of dachshund, as might be suspected from its name. The crop is coming to be known In the Northern markets, through commercial shipments, and its use Is spreading. As a commercial possibility the dasheen was brought to the United States, from the tropics, by the Department of Agriculture, and much official attention has been given to developing its value as an agricultural crop. In tropical countries, where it originated, it has long been a standard crop of commercial Importance. In the Orient, the taro, of which the dasheen is an especially fine-flavored variety, is a staple food. The Chayote A naturalized vegetable In which the Bureau of Plant Industry has taken considerable pride is the Chayote. To prevent confusion with the despised coyote of the western hilla Canuck smuggler, and his daughter. Fachard has been wounded by the Mounted and dies. Snow chains Burr and David with the girl for the winter. What comes shows every human weakness that ultra civilization has developed in David and every primi

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let It be remembered that the name of this vegetable is pronounced "chi-o-ty." with the accent on the second syllable, and the first syllable sounded as in "Chicago." This product comes to us from Mexico and Central America, as both a thing of beauty and a generous contributor of food. The vine is perennial, highly ornamental In appearance, and a prolific producer of a fruit of delicate flavor and a remarkable texture which renders it suitable for a wider range of uses than our own beloved cucumber. In the introduction of the chayote into American agriculture the plant explorers have brought us a vegetable which is highly prized in many parts of the world. In Madeira it has become one of the principal vegetables, and the growers in Algeria find a ready market for their product in the markets of Paris. Ceylon and Japan have taken kindly to the stranger, while in America this widespread success promises to be repeated. If not surpassed. The chayote has many table uses. Served with a cream, butter or tomato sauce, after having been boiled and sliced, it makes an excellent dish and one which does much to establish the product's popularity. The chayote is also served fried, stuffed, baked with cheese, and In other ways. Because of tive good quality that the woods have kept in Burr. They are willing to mtfrder each other from the second day, over Manette Fachard. and she tries piteously to keep them friendly. When Spring frees them a forest fire brings a dramatic denouement that

its delicate texture and mild flavor it is especially good for use as a salad. Boiled and mashed, and flavored with cloves and lemon juice, the chaj'ote somewhat resembles apple sauce, and may be used with any fruit juice as a base for tarts. I am told by men of taste and experience that a well made chayote tart Is one of the delights of a life-time. In short, when it comes to a matter of versatility, the chayote -has few equals. The Udo The udo affords another example of the naturalization of a foreigner into citizenship and into brotherhood among American vegetables. This stranger came to America from Japan. Its advent into the United States resulted from discoveries made in Japan in 19 02 by David Fairchild, who has charge of the office of foreign seed and plant introduction. Dr. Fairehild's first conviction as to the value of the udo was confirmed by his own experiments in cultivating this vegetable at his home, near Washington. D. C. The flavor of the udo is all its own, and is keenly appreciated by people of discriminating taste. It is distinctly aromatic, like celery or parsnip, but different from either. In food value It Is almost the same as celery or asparagus. There are many ways in which the udo can be prepared for the table, and in each of them its characteristic flavor is retained. One form, highly esteemed, is udo on toast, served with a white sauce such as is used for asparagus or cauliflower. Udo salad with French dressing is another delicious dish, while udo soup alone is

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marks the girl's choice clear to her. House Peters plays the part of Winton. Virginia Valli that of Manette Fachard ad Matt Moore plays as Dave Stewart. 1 'What's Wrong With The Women?" Jack Lee, following years of happi

said to make the vegetable worth our while. In growth the udo has some of the characteristics of asparagus and rhubarb. Technically it is a shrubby perennial, with a large fleshy rootstock, and it is the root for which it is grown. Its shrubbery produces an ornamental mass of large green leaves and long, loose flower clusters. The plant grows to a height of ten feet or more, in rich soil, and as an ornamental, shrub it was known to our nurserymen before it was Introduced as a food product. The plant dies down in the autumn, after the first frost, and comes up again in the spring, as do asparagus and rhubarb. A patch of it can be forced into growing year after year. Space for space the udo yields about the same amount of food produced by asparagus, and it is ready for use about the eame time in the spring. The roots require blanching, and this takes more labor than the blanching of asparagus, but this is counterbalanced by the fact that the udo is easier to raise and yields in a shorter space of time. The flowers are great favorites with bees and the plant has therefore attracted the attention of beekeepers as having value for their industry. Commercial growing of the udo was begun In California some years ago and it is believed that when it becomes more widely known It will achieve widespread popularity. Pal Tsal Rivalry with lettuce Is one of the striking points of the Chinese vegetable pal tsal, imported to America as petsai. Another, and even more Important, is that it can be produced for

ness with his wife, Janet, and child, finds himself face to face with a problem that had broken up the home of his employer. James Bascom. whose daughter, Elise. loved a millionaire James Belden. The latter casts oft Elise and diverts his attentions to

about half the money which must be spent in producing lettuce. Those familiar with petsai seem to feel that our cherished lettuce must look to its laurels when It comes into competition with the Chinese product. Petsai can be srrown anywhere in the United States, Is a better keeper than lettuce and is more attractive. In truth its attractive appearance is as important a factor in making friends for it as its delicate flavor and cheapness of production. It is considered unfortunate that petsai was ever tagged with the name "Chinese Cabbage," for it is a member of the mustard family and is not a cabbage at all. Eaten with French dressing it is a decided delicacy and has altogether too much refinement to permit any confusion with thev plebeian cabbage to be tolerated. New Jersey growers, who have gone In for the commercial production of pal tsal have found that with the same labor twice as much pal tsal as lettuce can be produced as in the case of lettuce, and with labor an expensive Item this will prove a material factor in establishing this importation as a food product of commercial Importance. The attractiveness of pal tsal is indicated In one of the accompanying Illustrations. Giant Radish The hig radish shown in another picture is one of the most remarkable vegetable growths ever" encountered by the research workers of the Department of Agriculture. This radish scored a weight of 25 pounds and a length of two feet. It was grown in Alabama and sent to Washington as proof of what the soil of Alabama can do when It starts In to establish a new standard.

Janet, who proves an easy prey for the high-livlnsr Mrs. Neer. Janet, her eyes opened to the luxury surrounding women of the more careless world, and intoxicated by its foul air all but ruins her husband. Not until death threatens their little child, does Janet come to a realization of the error of her way and then, through mutual good friends, the pair are reconciled. Wilton Lackaye. Julia Swayne Gordon, Constance Bennett, Montague Love, Rod La Rocque and Barbara Castleton are the more prominent members of the cast. "The Frozen North" Buster decides that he is the worst, raw-meat eating bad man north of Dawson and starts to prove it by shooting up a dance hall and terrorizing the, town. He throws over his girl and makes a bid for the wife of the hero. He enters the cabin and in the hand-to-hand struggle Buster is rapidly getting the best of the encounter when the girl he Jilted comes up and shoots him. The picture would seem sad at this point but It has a surprise finish. In one of the snappiest gags of the year Buster brings "The Frozen North" Into a warm finish. Natalie Johnson Natalie Johnson, formerly of the Ziegfeld Follies, is now in the movies with Christie Comedies. While Christie has contributed a number of his comedy girls to New York shows this is the first instance in which he has ' received one back.

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