BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 159 



PROMISING NEW VEGETABLE CROPS. 



The daslieen continues to otter encoinagino- possibilities as a food 

 crop for the South. Special attention was gi^en to the marketing of 

 this crop during the year. Nearly all the dasheens were marketed in 

 northern and eastern cities, the price ranging from 12-J to 20 cents 

 per pound. Seed tubers were supplied to about 1,700 collaborating 

 experimenters. The production at one station on 3 acres Avas 850 

 bushels, or something over 50,000 pounds. 



The chayote, another vegetable, gives promise of success. Nearly 

 750 bushels of this crop were produced at two stations, and 1,075 

 packages were sent to home demonstration agents in the South and 

 to cooking schools. Something over 1,700 packages of seed chayotes 

 were sent to j^ersons in the South Atlantic and Gulf States who wish 

 to grow the vegetable experimentally. 



The arracacia, a staple vegetable of the Venezuelans, is another 

 promising vegetable for the Southern States. 



PROTECTING NEW PLANT INTRODUCTIONS. 



So mau}^ dangerous and destructive crop enemies have been 

 brought into this country that public sentiment has demanded more 

 thorough protection. Very rigid protective measures have been 

 adopted in connection with all plant-introduction work conducted by 

 the Bureau of Plant Industry. Not only is every safeguard taken to 

 prevent dangerous enemies from coming in on plant inunigrants, but 

 every precaution is observed in freeing our own seeds and plants 

 which w^e send to foreign countries from many potential enemies that 

 might be injurious in their new homes. Cooperating with the Fed- 

 eral Horticultural Board, intensive inspection is made of all seeds 

 and plants coming from foreign countries and all seeds and plants 

 distributed from our stations but originally coming from abroad. 

 Between 3,500 and 4,000 lots of seeds and plants coming into the 

 country and going out of the country were examined the past year. 

 The increase in this work under the new Quarantine Order No. 37, 

 issued by the Federal Horticultural Board, has made it necessary to 

 broaden its scope. To tliis end a new plant-detention station is 

 being established near the city of Washington. This station will have 

 for Tts primary object the receiving and growing of new plant im- 

 migrants with a view to removing all possible chances of introduc- 

 ing dangerous diseases and insect enemies. 



CROP UTILIZATION. 



DRUG-PLANT INVESTIGATIONS. 



Notwithstanding the j^revailing high market prices of crude bo- 

 tanical drugs, the period covered by the past fiscal year has been a 

 critical one as affecting drug-plant culture in this country, because 

 of shortage of labor and unexpected difficulties encountered by many 

 who engaged in the enterprise without the experience or knowledge 

 necessary to carry on the work successfully. The net result is seen 

 in the abandonment of the work by a large number of the smaller 

 growers, leaving the field to those who have been reasonably suc- 

 cessful, either tlirough favorable location or better equipment, from 



