_ OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, li:17. 19 



45251 to 45262— Continued. 



or, at most, not more than six weeks from the time of germina- 

 tion. It is specially prized for its sweet ' buttery ' flavor which I 

 have henrd is characteristic of certain varieties of lettuce. It is 

 not eaten raw or for salad purposes ; but, dropped into boiling hot 

 water after being cut up in fairly large pieces, it makes a staple 

 green vegetable. The rapid growth struck me as being valuable, 

 for if in the same time as is necessary for growing lettuce one can 

 obtain a good cabbage green, it will undoubtedly l)e as jutpular 

 here as it is in China." 



45253. " Pai ts'ai. From Taianfu, Shantung Province." 

 ; 45254. " Yti ts'ai. Dark-colored, late variety from Yuyao, Chekiang 



Province. Grows taller than the very early kind, and while also 

 good for greens, is of a darker color, it is said ; and the seed is 

 used largely for the production of the so-called rapeseed oil that 

 is used so largely in food all through Middle China and South 

 China." 

 45255 and 45256. Castanea crenata Sieb. and Zucc. Fagacese. 



Chestnut. 

 " Japanese chestnuts from Hangchow, Chekiang Province." 



45255. A variety with large nuts. 



45256. A variety with medium-sized nuts. 



45257. Ct^cuMis melo L. Cucurbitacese. Muskmelon. 

 " White melon from Tientsin. ChiliU Province." 



45258. CucuMis sativus L. Cucurbitacete. Cucumber. 

 " Early cucumber from Taianfu, Shantung Province." 



45259. Cucurbita pepo L. Cucurbitacese. Squash. 

 Parti-colored squash from Taianfu, Shantung Province." 



45260 and 45261. Raphanus sativus L. Brassicacese. Radish. 



45260. " Round radish. Will not stand frost. Plant about July." 



45261. " Long radish. Hardy. Plant later than the round variety." 



45262. Spinacia oleracea L. Chenopodiacese. Spinach. 



"Mi sze Chi Yien. From Woosung, Kiangsu Province. Spinach, to 

 - be planted the last of August. Cover with soil 1 inch thick; will sprout 

 in a month. Can cut one crop in January and another in March." 



45263 to 45320. 



From China. Seeds collected by Mr. Frank N. Meyer, Agricultural Ex- 

 plorer for the Department of Agriculture. Received October 6, 1917. 

 Quoted notes by Mr. Meyer. 



45263. Brassica sp. Brassicacese. Mustard. 

 "(No. 2393a. Hankow, Hupeh Province. June 5. 1917.) Chieh tzu. 



Mustard seeds, said to have come from the north, where mustard is a 

 summer crop. However, it might have been grown as a winter crop in 

 the Yangtze Valley. Price, 37 cents. Yuan silver, per catty [1| pounds]. 

 Test this mustard as a summer crop where flax thrives ; as a winter crop 

 in the Gulf States." 



Received as Brassica juncea, but apparently not this species. 



