r 



I 



OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1020. 31 



yellow to deep yellow, with a suggestion of red ; Icnticols sniiill, miiueroiis, 

 brownish ; bloom bluish white ; skin medium thick ; seed large ; fiber rather 

 abundant, fine; flesh yellow, tender, and juicy; quality good, moderately vigor- 

 ous. Monoembryonic. Season, July." ( lVt'.s7( /•, Bulletin Xo. JS, Kurcait of 

 Agriculture, rhilippine Islands, p. 27.) 



51606. PoLAKOWSKiA TACACO PittitT. Cucurbitaccic. 



From San .Tose, Costa lliea. Fruits presented by Ot6n Jimenez, Depart- 

 ment of r.otany. National Museum. Received November 3, H)i:n. 



A cucurbitaceous plant, the fruit of which is used as a green vegetaidc. It i.s 

 a near relative to the chayote, but the fruit is smaller, fusiform, beset with 

 stiff si»ines at the base, and has a quite ditTerent flavor. It is one of the iirim- 

 itive foods of the natives of Costa Rica, where it grows wild in moist, shady 

 places of the temperate region, and its use as a vegetable has readily been 

 adopted by the Spanish Costa Ricans. The fruits, about 2i inches long and li 

 inches broad, hang from short stems and are picked while still green. After 

 removing the basal spines they are boiled in water, or pickled, or made into pre- 

 serves. They are also a favorite addition to the native soups. (Adapted from 

 note of Pitticr under S. P. I. No. 262U.) 



" The kinds which are cultivated contain very little fiber. They are used in 

 many ways, as greens, pickled, as dessert, as a vegetable, etc.^ and in any one 

 of these ways are very popular with us, and rightly so, I beleve. The most 

 conmion way consists in cooking the entire fruit with the leaves. AVlien cooked, 

 the skin comes off easily, and by pressing with the thumb and finger the seed 

 comes out easily ; all that remains, with the exception of a little fiber, is eaten." 

 (Jimenes.) 



51607 to 51612. 



From Salisbury. Rhodesia, Africa. Seeds presented by H. G. Mundy, agri- 

 culturist and botanist, Department of Agriculture. Received November 

 4, 1920. Quoted notes by Mr. Mundy, except as otherwise stated. 



51607. Canavali ens.iforme (L.) DC. FabaceJi^. Jack bean. 

 " Gotani bean." 



" The jack beau is a native of the West Indies and the adjacent main- 

 land and is a bushy, semierect annual with coarse stems, thickish leaves, 

 purplish flowers, and hard, white pods, 9 to 14 inches long, each con- 

 taining 10 to 14 white seeds. Usually the roots are v/ell tubercled, and 

 the plant will withstand much drought. It is remarkably free from in- 

 sects and fungous diseases. It is valuable as forage and as a cover crop 

 or for green manure." (C. V. Piper.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 49259. 



51608. DoLicHOS LABLAB L. Fabacefc. Hyacinth bean. 

 "Woodforde's dolichos bean; also known as n\Q Painted Lady bean." 

 For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 47978. 



51609 to 51611. HoLcus SORGHUM L. Poacete. Sorghum. 



(Soryhum vulgarc Pers.) 



51609. "Jiha Kafir corn." 



51610. "M'bele; native variety of Kafir corn." 



51611. " Birdproof Kafir corn." 

 51612. Stizolobium niveum (Roxb.) Kuntze. Fabaceie. 



" White stringless velvet bean." 



"This has now been cultivated in Florida and other Southern States 

 for several vears. It requires about the same length of time to mature 

 as the Florida velvet bean (Stizolobium deeringianum Bort) or is per- 

 haps slightlv earlier. It is, however, much more prolific in seed pro- 

 duction and is therefore likely to come into prominent use. It also 

 has the advantage over the Florida velvet bean in being wholly devoid 

 of stinging hairs." [C. V. Piper.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I- No. 46449. 



