JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1915. 25 



39836. Manisuris exaltata (L. f.) Kuntze. Poaceae. 



(Rottboellia exaltata L. f.) 



From Sibpur, near Calcutta, India. Presented by the superintendent, Royal 

 Botanic Garden. Received January 23, 1915. 



Distribution. — An annual grass with stems 4 to 10 feet high, ranging through- 

 out India, ascending to 7,000 feet in Gurhwal. 



39837. Adenophora verticillata Fisch. 



From Harbin, Manchuria. Presented by Mr. Lewis S. Palen. Received 

 January IS, 1915. 

 "Chinese Ssu yeh ts'ai, or 'Four-leaf plant.' Sample taken in September, 

 1914, on the Sungari River, 50 miles above its confluence with the Amur. It 

 grows all through the woods here and on the open plain, coming earlier in the 

 spring than almost any other save the wild onion. About 6 inches to 1 foot 

 high by the end of May. It makes a delicious green for stewing by the middle 

 of May in a climate where the frost is not out of the ground more than 4 or 5 

 inches by the middle of April. If it could be introduced at home, it might prove 

 of considerable value. It has an excellent flavor and is superior, in my estima- 

 tion, to many of the greens used in America. We prefer it to spinach." 

 (Palen.) 



39838. Myricaria germanica (L.) Desv. Tamaricacese. 



From Darjiling, India. Presented by Mr. A. C. Hartless, superintendent, 

 Government Botanical Gardens, Seharunpur, India, who procured it 

 from Mr. G. H. Cave, Lloyd Botanic Gardens, Darjiling. Received Janu- 

 ary 23, 1915. 

 See S. P. I. No. 39G30 for previous introduction and description. 



39839 to 39844. Juglans regia L. Juglandacese. Walnut. 



From Grenoble, France. Presented by Mr. Thomas W. Murton, American 

 vice consul. Received January 2, 1915. 



All are late-blooming varieties from Tullins, Isere, the name of the orchard 

 (Clos) from which the nuts came being given in each case. 



"As instructed, I made a first trip, on June 23, to Tullins. Isere, and neighbor- 

 ing walnut-growing districts, where I located several line, vigorous, healthy- 

 looking specimens of the late-blooming variety of walnut trees, cuttings from 

 which are desired later by the Department of Agriculture for experimental 

 purposes. 



"It will be my duty also to forward to this department at harvesting time 

 samples of the nuts produced by these trees for comparison and possible sowing. 



"This variety, though a good producer, is little appreciated by growers 

 hereabouts, for the reason that the fruit it bears is lighter in weight than 

 most other kinds and consequently not so profitable from a pecuniary point of 

 view; indeed, there is a growing tendency on the part of the farmers in this 

 region to eliminate all such trees from their plantations on this account. As 

 a matter of fact, several of those thai I have marked are destined to be cut 

 down in the near future, and the probability is that little by little this par- 

 ticular species will disappear entirely from the region of the Isere to make 

 way for the more esteemed and much preferred grafted Mayctte, the cultiva- 

 tion of which has greatly increased within the past four or live years in and 

 around Tullins, where several new orchards have been laid out independently 

 of individual plantings. 



