691 



Malunt'xt i-acc/ito*'/ . (Rutaceae.) 36102. Seeds from 

 Gaganbavda, Kolapur District, India. Presented by Mr. R. 

 R. Dhavle. "A small tree or shrub, differing from the 

 other species of Atalantia in that it is always unarmed. 

 It is found in the lower mountain regions of Ceylon, in 

 Southern India and in the western peninsula from the Con- 

 can to Travancore. In February the plant produces its 

 white flowers which are arranged in short but distinct ra- 

 cemes with the peduncles a little less than a quarter of 

 an inch in length. The berry is globular-ovoid, three- 

 fourths of an inch wide with a long epiculus, four- celled, 

 four-seeded." (Trimen, Handbook of the flora of Ceylon, 

 and Hooker, Flora of British India.) Introduced for the 

 citrus breeding work of the Office of Crop Physiology and 

 Breeding Investigations. For distribution later. 



(Brassicaceae . ) 36113. Seeds of 

 the petsai cabbage from Peking, China. "A large variety of 

 Chinese winter cabbage coming from near Tientsin, called 

 'Ta pai tsai.' Chinese winter cabbage is a vegetable of 

 first class quality, having a rich flavor all its own. 

 It is very much easier digested than the ordinary cabbage 

 and emits no offensive odors when boiled. It can be 

 served in many different ways and may be eaten boiled or 

 stewed, raw, pickled or salted. To obtain the best re- 

 sults a rich well worked soil is needed, the plants must 

 have a space of about two feet In all directions and they 

 must be regularly cultivated, and they must never suffer 

 for lack of sufficient soil moisture. The best time for 

 sowing the seed is about the end of July or early in Au- 

 gust; for regions with a very long summer even later will 

 suffice. To keep them during the winter the Chinese pro- 

 ceed this way; after the first heavy night frost :he cab- 

 bages are pulled out by a twist of the hand, the earth 

 roughly shaken off the roots and the plants left lying on 

 the field for a day or so to dry them off, then the outer 

 leaves are pulled off, the dry soil beaten from the roots 

 and the cabbages brought to dry dug-out cellars, where 

 they are neatly stored layer on layer with the heads fa- 

 cing the entrance. Dry straw is now put over them and the 

 whole covered with a heavy coat of soil. When stored 

 carefully they last until late next spring. The roots 

 must never be cut off as otherwise the plants begin to 

 rot. When grown for seed the roots with just an inch or 

 so of the leaf-stumps left on them are planted out in the 

 spring on a special piece of land, where the soil is not 

 too heavy. They soon form new rootlets and in a short 

 time stalks rise up with but very scanty foliage and bear- 

 ing pale yellow flowers. The process of setting seeds 



