63 



3967. Festuca. 



From Lima, Peru. Presented by Dr. Carlos Cisneros, December 15, 1899. Dis- 

 tributed. 



3968. 



From Lima, Peru. Presented by Dr. Carlos Cisneros, December 15, 1899. 

 Mixture of grass seeds. Distributed. 



3969. Triticum vulgare. Wheat. 



From Lima, Peru. Presented by Dr. Carlos Cisneros, December 15, 1899. 

 "This wheat is from an altitude of 11,000 feet." (Cisneros.) Distributed. 



3970. Rumex hymenosepalus. Canaigre. 



From Arizona. Received through Prof. R. H. Forbes, Tucson, Ariz. , December 

 15, 1899. Distributed. 



3971. Lactuca. Lettuce. 



From Edfu, Egypt. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild (Xo. 

 290), December 28, 1899. 



Arabic Khass. A sample of seed of a lettuce used for the preparation of oil. The 

 culture is extensive in Egypt, and the method of making the oil is quite similar to 

 that for the sesame oil. (See description under Xo. 3972. ) The oil is considered by 

 the natives as inferior to sesame, whether in quality or yield I was unable to make 

 out. Mr. George Bonaparte of the Agricultural College of Cairo says it is an excel- 

 lent table oil. (Reprinted from Inventory Xo. 6.) 



3972. Sesamum indicum. Sesame. 



From Edfu, Egvpt. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild (Xo. 

 291), December 28, 1899. 



Shnsim. The seed is sown in rotation with sorghum, often while the sorghum 

 is ripening, between the rows. The land is irrigated once, immediately after sowing, 

 and a second time when 2 inches high. Xo more water is then applied to the 

 crop. The plants thrive on poor land. Planted here in November, the crop ripens 

 in four months. The plants are cut green and exposed to the sun until dry. The 

 seed is thrashed with flails, ground fine, and put in collapsable baskets of matting, 1 

 foot in diameter. These baskets, full of sesame meal, are piled up one on the other 

 under a screw press, and vertical pressure is applied until the oil flows out and is 

 collected in a small pit below the press. The oil sells in Egypt for about 88.50 per 

 10C pounds. It is used as a table oil, but is considered inferior to olive oil. 

 (Reprinted from Inventory Xo. 6.) 



3973. Cicer ARIETDSTUM. G-arbanzos. 



From Edfu, Egvpt. Received throua-h Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild (Xo. 

 292) , December 28, 1899. 



This is a red variety. The seeds are roasted and eaten like peanuts by the native 

 farming class. They taste not unlike popcorn. The roasted peas are also used in 

 soups. Roasted in the green state they are said to be the most delicate. The vines 

 are dried and fed to cattle; said also to be an excellent fodder crop; grown exten- 

 sively in Upper Egypt. Seed planted 5 or 6 inches apart, drilled, or sown broad- 

 cast. In places overflowed by the Xile it needs no watering, but is sown after the 

 subsidence of the water and left to take care of itself. On irrigable land it is watered 

 When sown, again when in flower, and a third time when the seeds are being formed. 

 One 'fedan' (about 1.1 acres) yields a profit of 820, according to the statement of a 

 large land owner of Edfu. About 27 bushels of seed are produced per 'fedan.' 

 (Reprinted from Inventory Xo. 6. ) Distributed. 



