42 



3775. Prosopis horrida. Algaroba. 



From Paita, Peru. Received through Mr. Eduardo Fowkes. 



A tree of Peru belonging to the locust family which produces twice a year crops 

 of yellow pods resembling those of honey locust. It grows to a height of 50 to 60 

 feet and 1 to 4 feet in diameter. It grows from the coast to an altitude of 2,000 feet 

 above sea level. It needs a good and moist soil. It is propagated from seed, or, 

 better, by means of root cuttings; the small trees must be given plenty of water until 

 the strong taproot sinks deep into the soil. They are usually planted 4 feet apart, 

 The tree itself makes good fuel and the pods make excellent food for stock. They 

 fall to the ground and are gathered and stored in air-tight adobe rooms to keep out 

 insects. As a food for mules and horses they are superior to corn, and a hard-work- 

 ing mule will eat 25 pounds daily and keep in good condition; they are fed to horses 

 with grass, as they are too strong to feed alone. Suitable for growing in southern 

 California. Distributed. 



3776. Cucumis sativus. Cucumber. 



From Tetschen, Bohemia. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild 

 (No. 242), September, 1899. 



Langer waken. Considered the best cucumber of Bohemia. Many thousand 

 pounds are shipped into Berlin and Dresden from this region, where the cucumbers 

 are used for salads and fermented to make Sauer gurken. (Reprinted from Inventory 



No. 6. ) 



3777. SOLANUM TUBEROSUM. Potato. 



From Tetschen, Bohemia. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild 

 (No. 241) , September, 1899. 



Black salad potato. Said by the owner to have been imported seven years ago from 

 some place in Africa by Mr. Joseph Wenzel, the gardener of the agricultural college 

 at Tetschen, a breeder of potatoes, who imported six tubers. He has been repro- 

 ducing it and finds it very productive. The potato is dark purple both inside and 

 out, somewhat marbled, but very showy as a salad potato. The quality is said to be 

 very good and it is considered valuable as a novelty. (Distributed.) (Reprinted 

 from Inventory No. 6. ) 



3778. Cochlearia armoracea. Horse-radish. 



From Tetschen, Bohemia. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild 

 (No. 250), September, 1899. 



The variety of horse-radish known in Germany and Austria as the Maliner or 

 Maimer kren is considered superior to any other. It is grown to perfection in Kut- 

 tenberg, a small village southeast of Kolin, in Bohemia, whence large quantities are 

 exported. It is distinguished by its unusually sharp, penetrating taste, uniform shape, 

 and excellent keeping qualities. 



A deep, loose, strong soil with plenty of moisture is best suited to the culture of 

 horse-radish. In autumn the soil is forked over to a depth of 2 or 2\ feet and well- 

 rotted barnyard manure is thoroughly worked in to the depth of a foot or more. A 

 narrow bed, 3 feet wide, is prepared, and in late March or early April the horse-radish 

 cuttings are planted along both edges, alternating so that they are not opposite each 

 other across the bed. The cuttings are 12 inches long and are set out 18 inches apart. 

 Instead of being placed vertically in the ground, they are planted in an obliquely 

 horizontal position, with the upper, larger end covered by only three-quarters to 1 

 inch of earth, while the lower lies 3 to 4 inches deep. As a consequence of this 

 slanting position, the new roots thrown out from the lower side of the cutting, strik- 

 ing vertically downward, make almost a right angle with the main stem, and it is 

 these slender roots from which the new cuttings for the next season's planting are 

 made. 



During the summer the ground is kept free from weeds and the surface of the soil 

 lightly stirred. Toward the end of June the bed is gone over carefully and each cut- 

 ting uncovered separately and slightly raised out of the soil by hand. Care is taken 

 not to injure the perpendicular roots which have formed at its lower end. All small 

 rootlets are rubbed off from the body of the root with a woolen cloth; those that are 

 too large to be removed in this manner being cut close with a sharp knife. A small 



