100 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



38176 to 38182— Continued. (Quoted notes by Mr. F. N. Meyer.) 



said to be red outside and inside. Of agreeable sour taste. Can be kept 

 almost a year. A most excellent fruit for jellies, compotes, cake fillings, 

 etc. Chinese name Ta suan cha, meaning ' large sour haw.' " 



Grafted trees and scions. 



38177. Qstekdamia sp. Poacese. 



"(No. 1212. Mountains near Taianfu, Shantung, China. March 22, 

 1914.) A grass of low growth and of spreading habits, thriving to per- 

 fection on thin, decomposed rock soil, along mountain paths where much 

 tramping takes place; also found on inclines, where the mat of roots pre- 

 vents the soil from being washed out. Of decided value, apparently, as a 

 bank, lawn, and golf-course grass, especially for the drier parts of the 

 United States." 



38178. Amygdalus peesica L. Amygdalacese. Fei peach. 

 (Prunus persica Stokes.) 



"(No. 1213. Feicheng, Shantung, China. March 27, 1914.) A re- 

 markable variety of clingstone peach, considered to be the best in all 

 China. Size large to very large ; shape round ; very heavy, often over 

 1 pound apiece ; skin quite downy and of a pale yellowish color with a 

 slight blush on one side. Meat very juicy and sweet and of excellent 

 aromatic flavor, of white color except near the stone, where it is reddish. 

 Stone very large and pointed, meat strongly adhering to it. Ripens in 

 early to middle October and possesses excellent shipping and keeping 

 qualities. The trees are of erect growth when young ; when older, how- 

 ever, they spread out considerably, but they remain of open growth. To 

 reach their greatest perfection these peaches are fertilized every spring, 

 while during a dry season they are irrigated from wells ; the fruit is 

 also thinned out. The soil wherein they seem to thrive best is a porous, 

 light clayey loam of reddish color, retaining moisture quite well but not 

 becoming too soggy. The local people calculate that on an average a tree 

 supplies $10 worth (Mexican) of fruit each season, and they consider an 

 orchard of these trees a very valuable asset indeed. The climate around 

 Feicheng is of a semiarid nature, and this variety of peach may be ex- 

 pected to thrive especially well in the regions west of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. Chinese name Fei Vao, meaning 'Fei peach.' " 



Grafted trees and scions. 



38179. Salix sp. Salicacea?. Willow. 

 "(No. 1179. Village of Chenkiao, Honan, China. March S. 1914.) 

 A willow of golden yellow color, much planted on the sandy flats along 

 the Yellow River for sand-binding purposes. Of value for similar uses, 

 especially for the drier parts of the United States." 



38180. Zinziber officinale Rose. Zinziberaceae. Ginger. 

 "(No. 1214. Feicheng, Shantung, China. March 26, 1914.) A variety 



of ginger grown on sandy loam in the vicinity of Minyang to the south 

 of Taianfu. Much hawked about throughout Shantung and retailing at 

 from 10 to 12 cents (Mexican) per pound. Is much relished as a condi- 

 ment in soups and with meat dishes and considered to be very healthful, 

 so much so in fact that Confucius advised his pupils to make ginger one 

 of their relishes to be eaten daily. The Chinese plant the rhizomes as 

 soon as the soil becomes warm and harvest the plants in the autumn 

 after a light frost ; the rhizomes are stored in cool dugouts and kept 



