I love to get some and try them. They souond like a very interesting plant to go. Pat in South Carolina ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Sue Ittner" <msittner@mcn.org> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 9:55 AM Subject: Re: [pbs] Dichelostemma--TOW > Dear All, > > A number of year ago I remember reading an interesting study in Fremontia > about Dichelostemma capitatum. I have searched everywhere for it, but I > must not have kept it. I am afraid to trust my memory on this so accept > this as only a memory which may have been distorted over > time. Dichelostemma capitatum was a major food source for Native > Americans. In a book I have for plants used by Indians of my county it is > listed as being eaten raw, but sweeter when cooked in ashes. Since it > offsets a lot each year they would dig them up, take the larger ones and > replant the smaller ones. This system worked very well. > > They were discouraged from continuing to do this by the settlers. In the > article someone had decided to do an experiment many years later. Not being > able to use them as food had been a great hardship and this person was > interested in determining who was correct about whether digging them would > hurt the bulb population. They were grown for a number of years (I can't > remember how long). In one bed they were left to grow and in the other some > were removed and the little one replanted as the Indians would have > done. At the end of the experiment both plots were dug up and then number > of bulbs counted. Now for the results I really need the article. What my > recollection is was that there was a big increase in both populations and > that digging them had not been a detriment at all and maybe even > contributed to a healthy population. Does anyone else who might be a CNPS > member remember reading this article and have it handy? > > Are Alberto, Jane, Lauw, Diana, and I the only ones growing this genus? > (And Doug Westfall who has a picture on the wiki). Anyone else willing to > share your experiences? > > Mary Sue > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php