JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1910. 55 



27025— Continued. 



which comes out very early in the springtime, freezes almost every year. " (Extract 

 from Carriere, Trait'e generate des Coniferes, p. 338.) 



See No. 22909 for previous introduction. 



Distribution. — The slopes of the Alatau Mountains in southern Siberia, and the Tien 

 Shan Mountains in Dzungaria, in the western part of the Chinese Empire. (Plants.) 



27026. Medic ago sativa L. Alfalfa. 



From Gabes, Tunis. Procured by Mr. M. Victor Dumas, Controleur Civil, 

 Sousse, Tunis, from El Habib ben Trab, Amin des vivres a Menzel, for Mr. J. 

 M. Westgate, at the suggestion of Mr. T. H. Kearney. Received March 12, 

 1910. 



Tripoli. 



27027. Olea europaea L. Olive. 



From the foothills of the Amanus Mountains, Turkey. Presented by Mr. F. D. 

 Shepard, Aintab, Turkey. Received March 11, 1910. 



"These olives were collected on the landward side of the Amanus Mountains, where 

 the climate is semiarid. The olive is more at home on the seaward side of these moun- 

 tains, where the tree, or shrub (for in the wild state it is more like a shrub than a tree) 

 is larger and the fruit nearly twice as large. It does not grow wild on the Kurd Dagh 

 (Kurdish Mountains), the parallel range farther inland, and still more arid, although 

 the cultivated olive thrives there. " (Shepard.) 



27028 to 27031. 



From Baumschulenweg, bei Berlin, Germany. Purchased from Mr. L. Spath. 

 Received March 17, 1910. 



Plants of the following; descriptions taken from Spath's catalogue for 1909-10: 



27028 to 27030. Sorbus aucuparia L. Mountain ash. 



27028. "Variety moravica Zengerling. From northern Austria. The 

 fruits are put up like red whortleberries and make a very refreshing 

 preserve; they can also be used in the making of wine. The scarlet- 

 red berries are larger than the Russian ones, but decidedly sharper in 

 taste. The tree thrives on the poorest soil. " 



27029 and 27030. ' 'According to information from a Russian business 

 friend, these edible mountain ashes are much cultivated in southern 

 Russia, partly eaten fresh, but more used in the preserve manufactory 

 at Kief. The berries, the size of peas, are powdered with sugar, 

 dried, and shipped in boxes. I tasted these fruits prepared in this 

 way and found that they had a pleasantly acid taste, a little bitter, but 

 not at all unpleasant. The fruits are used as dessert fruits, for the mak- 

 ing of tarts, etc., and like the Moravian edible mountain ashes, make a 

 very nice preserve. Found in two forms as follows: 



27029. "Variety rossica L. Spath, 1898. 



"Berries the size of the ordinary mountain ash, round, coral red. 

 Taste acid sweet, slightly astringent, but without any bitter aftertaste." 



27030. "Variety rossica major L. Spath, 1903. 



" Berries somewhat largerthan those of the preceding form (S. P. I. No. 

 27029), short, oval, scarlet red, without any bitter taste." 

 207 



