48 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



36662 to 36675— Continued. 



36672. EOLCUS SORGHUM L. Sorghum. 

 (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) 



"(No. 1900a. Tan hwa, Chihli Province, China. September 1, 1913.) A 

 dwarf variety of sorghum with large, dense heads and white grains. Fit for 

 regions having short growing seasons." 



36673. Ciiaktochloa italica (L.) Scribner. Millet. 

 (Setaria italica Beam . I 



"(No. L901a. Tan hwa, Chihli Province, China. September 1, 1913.) A 

 short-season variety of bird's millet having dense ears. Chinese name Hsiao 

 mi tze. Fit for regions having short growing seasons." 



36674. Panicum miliaceum L. Proso. 



"(No. 1902a. Tan hwa, Chihli Province, China. September 1, 1913.) A 

 variety of proso of low growth, early ripening habits, and big yield. Fit for 

 regions having short growing seasons. Chinese name Huang mi." 



36675. A vena nuda Hoejer. Oat. 



"(No. 1903a, Ta sliiang yang, Chihli Province, China. August 1, 1913.) A 

 good variety of hull-less oats, much cultivated in the higher mountain regions 

 of northern China. A coarse flour is made from it, which is eaten in the form 

 of noodles, dumplings, and cakes. Chinese name Yu mei. Especially worth 

 trying in the mtermountain sections of the United States. May be of <rreat 

 value to oatmeal manufacturers." 



36676. Phoenix dactylifera L. Date. 



From Egypt. Brought over by Prof. S. C. Mason, of the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 who received it as a present from Sheik Abbes Mohammed Ahmed. Elsheikh 

 Issa, Keneh, Egypt, November 1, 1913. 



Mosque. "As the Arabic name, rendered 'The Date by the Land,' referring to its 

 being a seedling tree growing by the border of a cultivated field, is an awkward one, 

 I prefer to name this the Mosque date, as hah of the fruit and offshoots of the original 

 tree had been vowed to his mosque by the owner. The fruit is slightly softer than 

 semidry and inclined to be a bit sticky. It is of medium size, yellow, ripening to 

 amber brown, thin skinned, the flesh very rich and sugary, the Beed small. 1 con- 

 sider that it has no superior as a packing date among all Egyptian varieties." | Mason.) 



Offshoot. 



36677 and 36678. 



From Peking, China. Collected by Mr. Frank N. Meyer. Agricultural Explorer 

 for the Department of Agriculture. Received November 28, 1913. 



36677. ( ui mi asia sp. 



"(No. 1036. Peking, China. November :;. l!ii:'». ) A dry-land taro, or daah- 

 een, cultivated in North China. The* Ihinese call the largo main conns 'males.' 

 and these are considered much coarser than the cormlets, which are called 'fe- 

 males.' The latter are especially appreciated when served boiled and steamed 

 hot witli molten sugar over them. Chinese name Uto or Yu too." (Meyer.) 



"This variety is similar to those previously received from Japan and North 

 China and is of a quality greatly inferior to seme of those from w armer regions." 

 />'. .1 . Young.) 



36678. LiLlUM sp. Lily. 

 "(No. L040. November:;. L913.) A Chinese lily, said to come from southern 



China. The scales are eaten boiled in soup, sweetened with honey or sugar; 

 and this is considered a very line dish. < ihinese name Pai <//<<<. " ( Miyer.) 



