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vidually differ why not do as in sugar beets and in 

 sugarcane and collect seeds and sow them out, testing 

 each individual plant by itself! Perhaps some better 

 types will be envolved than we possess now! In the 

 American Consulate I saw a report on peppermint from 

 the hand of Consul Hunter Sharp, addressed to the 

 Asst. Secretary of State, dated Kobe, Japan, Nov. 

 23, 1906. Dr. Stockberger might be interested in ob- 

 taining a copy, of it, if he has not got it already. 



Mr. Frank N. Meyer writes from Yokohama, Japan, 

 October 20, 1916, as follows: Among my notes I found 

 a short scribble from you in blue pencil: Meyer to 

 investigate Momme pickle industry of Japan. Yesterday 

 afternoon I asked Mr. Watase about this and he gave 

 me the following description; pick fruits when full 

 grown but before they are quite ripe; they must be 

 still hard; soak in a tub with water for 24 hours; 

 drain off water, take salt and mix 1/3 salt to 2/3 

 fruits in quantity, mixed that way let them stand for 

 a period from 5-7 days. Should the weather be cool 7 

 days will make them right; should it be warm 5 days 

 is enough. Leaves of the red-leaved variety of Perilla 

 nankinensis should be mixed among them. After this salt- 

 ing process the fruits are taken out and spread out 

 in the sun to dry, then the juice of the salted red 

 perilla-beans is sprinkled over them by squeezing a 

 hand full of them and the fruits turned over. Every 

 day this process is repeated and after 3 to 5 days 

 they are put up in vessels in moderately weak brine, 

 perilla leaves mixed among them and in this way the 

 product can be kept almost indefinitely. Mr. Watase 

 was shown fruits said to be 100 years old. Mr. Watase 

 and I when we were talking about it both got the water 

 freely flowing in our mouths. 'Yes,' Mr. Watase said, 

 'our famous deceased General Nogi used to say to his 

 soldiers on a hot day in the Manchurian campaign, 

 when there was no water in sight, "Boys, how would you 

 like to have now some nice pickled mumes?"- and nobody 

 after that complained about thirst. ' I hope this recipe 

 may be of use to you. By the way, if you go to the 

 Nanking restaurant on 9th St., you can get there some 

 very fine preserved mume fruits; they are called 

 'Ching mae' and are a high class delicacy in old 

 Cathay. " 



