40 



2192. Viburnum tinus. Laurestine. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



An ornamental shrub; originally from Corsica, where it forms dense woods. The 

 leaves are evergreen. The pretty pink flowers appear in winter, and are followed 

 by dark blue berries. Very ornamental. For the South. 



2193. Xanthoceras sorbifolia. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



A low-growing, deciduous tree from the mountains of northern China. For land- 

 scape gardening. Hardy. It has leaves like the mountain ash and terminal racemes 

 of large white flowers with a yellow eye, changing to red brown. 



2194. ZlZYPHUS SATIVA. Jujube. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



A small tree, native of Asia Minor, with edible fruits of a beautiful red color and 

 of the size of a large olive. The pulp, which surrounds the single seed, is yellowish 

 white, is sweet, and has a vinous flavor. It is mostly dried and used in making 

 sirups, pastes, tablettes, etc., used as a pectoral. The tree, belonging to the family 

 Rhanmacea?, is of rather slow growth and somewhat tender. It requires much light 

 and heat, but resists drought. It should be tried in California and Arizona. There 

 are several varieties propagated by suckers. (See No. 2554.) 



2195. Stachys sieboldi. Stachys. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



" Chinese artichoke." The most important of the new vegetables introduced 

 by Paillieux from China. I find them very good and think they will find favor in 

 America for much the same uses as new potatoes. 



This is a perennial herb with simple or branched four-sided stems, 12 to 16 inches 

 high. The leaves are opposite, lance-shaped, cordate at the base, crinkled, and rough; 

 and the flowers are borne in whorls of 4 to 6 on the upper part of the stems. The 

 tubers are borne on the roots in the same manner as potatoes. Tbey resemble a 

 string of coarse beads closely crowded together and flattened at their ends. When 

 prepared according to French methods the tubers are cooked from 12 to 15 minutes. 

 If boiled for a longer time they soften and become watery. They are served with 

 sauces like broad beans, and are said to possess a delicious and delicate flavor. They 

 may be fried or cooked in a variety of ways, or may be used in salads, alone or with 

 other vegetables. They also make fine pickles with onions, pepj>ers, and gherkins. 



The plant is hardy, resisting severe cold. It is propagated from the tubers. These 

 are set ont in rows in a rich, loamy clay soil very early in spring, about potato-planting 

 time. They are covered to the depth of 6 or 8 inches in hills 16 inches apart. The 

 weeds are kept down during the summer, but the ground must not be stirred after 

 the 1st of October, so as not to disturb the new tubers which are forming about that 

 time. They will be ready to dig in November, and should be stored in dry soil at a 

 uniform temperature and protected from the air to prevent discoloration. In France 

 yields of 5 or fi tons of Stachys tubers per acre are often obtained. The Stachys is a 

 lover of moist, cool situations and does not thrive where exposed to great heat. 



According to Professor Johnson, as quoted in Garden and Forest (10, p. 70), the 

 tubers contain "eight times as much nitrogen as a potato of the same weight and a 

 large quantity of a carbohydrate called galactin, which is more digestible than 

 starch, being allied to dextrin, and therefore more easily converted into sugar. For 

 this reason the tubers of this plant would be especially useful for invalids and per- 

 sons of delicate digestion, since they bear the same relation to the substance of the 

 potato that peptonized foods do to ordinary meats. 



2196. Trapa natans. Water chestnut. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



Should be tried in swamps. An annual aquatic floating on the surface of ponds. 

 It produces large nuts with an edible kernel. Native to middle and southern 

 Europe. 



2197. Agaricus campestris. Mushroom spawn. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, February 13, 1899. 



