JULY 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1910. 55 



28816 to 28822— Continued. 



28820. "Raspuri. Weight 12 to 15 ounces; size 6 by \\ inches; color greenish 

 yellow with dark spots and red shade; pulp yellow, fiberless; thin skin; 

 taste good ; flavor pleasant. Profusely fruiting. One of the earliest varieties . ' ' 



28821. "Romani. Weight 10 to 14 ounces; size 4 by 3£ inches; skin very 

 thin; pulp pale yellow; color varying from pale yellow with reddish spots 

 to golden yellow; taste sweet; stone very small. Fruits on trees look like 

 apples from a distance. A long-keeping variety, quite fit for long journeys." 



28822. "Sundersha. Weight 15 to 20 ounces; size 8 by 4^ inches; color 

 yellowish red ; pulp white; stone thin and flat; skin thick; unripe ones are 

 also sweet; shape long, with a pointed curve like that of a parrot's bill. A 

 late variety.' 



>> 



28823 and 28824. 



From Oregon. Presented by Mr. George R. Schoch, R. R. No. 1, Forest Grove, 

 Oreg. Received August 26, 1910. 



Seeds of the following: 



28823. Lathyrus polyphyllus Nutt. 



From northwestern Oregon, altitude 800 feet. Crop of 1910. 



"A perennial species with violet-colored flowers, abundant in the open 

 coniferous woods throughout western Washington and western Oregon. The 

 plants appear in early spring and become fully mature and dry in July. Stock 

 are not fond of the plant when green, but eat the hay readily." (C. V. Piper.) 



28824. Vicia gigantea Hook. Giant vetch. 



From northwestern Oregon, latitude 45° 32', longitude 46° 8', altitude 1,000 

 feet. Crop of 1910. 



"A perennial vetch with ochroleucous flowers, growing along the Pacific 

 coast from Sitka to middle California. It grows to a great size, the vines being 

 often 8 to 10 feet long and producing a great abundance of plants and pods. 

 The seeds, however, are ordinarily destroyed by insects. Stock ordinarily 

 will not eat the plants while green and are not particularly fond of the hay. 

 The entire plant turns black on drying." (C. V. Piper.) 



28825. Catha edulis Forsk. Khat. 



From Aden, Arabia. Procured by Mr. Charles K. Moser, American consul. 

 Received August 24, 1910. 



"Khat is the Arabic name for Catha edulis, a shrub grown commercially in only 

 two localities in the world, the Yemen and near Harrar in Abyssinia. The word is 

 said to be derived from another Arabic word, kut, meaning food or sustenance, and 

 refers to the most salient property of the plant, that of sustaining one who eats of its 

 leaves under the most extraordinary bodily labor. The Arabs say that life and hard 

 work would be unendurable in their country without khat. 



"The shrub is found only in certain localities in the mountains from 3,500 to 5,000 

 feet above sea level. It will not grow, even in highlands, near salt water, or in any 

 soil containing sand. The height of a full-grown plant varies from 5 to 12 feet, appar- 

 ently more according to the nature of the climate than to the quality of the soil, as has 

 been demonstrated by the Arabs. It appears that its chief requirements for cultiva- 

 tion are a fan* amount of water, a cool but not cold climate, and a soil composed largely 

 of disintegrated stone, well manured with sheep and goat droppings. A peculiarity 

 of the plant is that it will not thrive in soil manured with camel or cattle dung. 

 223 



