. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. PROPAGATION OF WILD-DUCK FOODS. 25 and that the swans in particular feed extensively upon the plant. A correspondent of the Biological Survey, Mr. George W. Russell, of Gaston, Oreg., writes that the wapato is fed upon most by the diving ducks, as the canvas-back, redhead, and bluebills (scaups), and that they seek it whenever they are present in the country where it grows. Prof. David Dale Owen, in his report of a geological survey of Wis- consin, Iowa, and Minnesota, notes that these tubers afford much nourishment to
. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. PROPAGATION OF WILD-DUCK FOODS. 25 and that the swans in particular feed extensively upon the plant. A correspondent of the Biological Survey, Mr. George W. Russell, of Gaston, Oreg., writes that the wapato is fed upon most by the diving ducks, as the canvas-back, redhead, and bluebills (scaups), and that they seek it whenever they are present in the country where it grows. Prof. David Dale Owen, in his report of a geological survey of Wis- consin, Iowa, and Minnesota, notes that these tubers afford much nourishment to the larger aquatic fowls. The vernacular names swan potato and duck potato that have been applied to these plants give further evidence of their value to wild fowl. Other local names are swamp potato, muskrat potato, Chi- nese onion, and water nut. The Biological Survey has found various parts of Sag- ittaria plants in stomachs of the following species of waterfowl: Mallard, widg- eon, green-winged teal, blue- winged teal, spoonbill, pin- tail, canvas-back, little blue- bill, ruddy duck, Canada goose, and whooping sWan. DESCRIPTION OF PLANT. The general relations of stems, flowers, and tubers are the same in the wapato (fig. 23) as in the delta po- tato, but the shape of the leaves is entirely different. Both Sagittaria latifolia and 8. arifolia have arrowhead- shaped leaves. These vary greatly in the length, width, and shape of the point and barbs and in the degree of divergence of the latter. Various forms of leaves are illustrated in figure 24. The wapato plant sometimes reaches a height of 4 feet. The appearance of the flowers and seed balls is much the same as in the delta potato. The tubers of S. latifolia (fig. 25), from six to nine to the plant, are formed on runners in the same manner as those of the delta potato,. Fig. 23.—Young eastern plant of wapato with single tuber. (Two thirds natural size.). Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page image
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