SEPTEMBEK, 1900, TO DECEMBER, 1903. 163 



7689 to 7765— Continued. 



7711. Hedysarum pallidum. 



"Specimen obtained from near Oran by Mr. D G. Fairchild. It was nearly 

 matured. The plant is mentioned by Battandier as being perennial, having 

 large, ornamental flowers which are white and streaked with purple; the stem 

 fleshy, decumbent; the leaves somewhat pubescent, not as long as the flower 

 clusters; the leaflets 10 to 20 mm. by 5 to 10; flowers in oblong flower clusters; 

 the pod spiny, 4 to 7 articulations with vertical spines at the ends; common 

 in salty and gypsum soils. " {Scofield.) 



7712. Hedysarum mauritanicum. 



"Specimen from garden of the School of Medicine of Algiers; seed probably 

 brought by Doctor Trabut from somewhere in the province of Oran. The 

 plant is somewhat less vigorous than H. coronarium; stems reclining; plant 

 often more than 2 feet in height." (Scofield.) 



7713. Trigonella foenum-graecum. Fenugreek. 



"Specimen from the garden of the School of Medicine of Algiers. This 

 plant has an upright habit of growth, reaching 18 to 20 inches in height; has a 

 very important place in general culture as a soil enricher and a green forage 

 crop. It is often planted in the autumn between rows of grapevine and turned 

 under the following spring, when the cultivation of the grapes begins. When 

 used as a green forage crop, or when the seed is used, the fat producing effect 

 is very noticeable. The plant has a very strong odor when dried, and animals 

 fed on the dry grain or green forage are strongly affected by the odor. Eggs 

 from hens fed on this plant are uneatable. Meat of animals having access to 

 it can not be used as human food; as a horse food it is of considerable impor- 

 tance. The Jewish women eat a meal prepared from the grain of this plant 

 and become enormously fat. It is already used to some extent in Virginia, 

 and very widely cultivated throughout Persia and India. About 1,000 tons of 

 this seed are sold annually by one dealer, Schempft & Co., in the Liverpool 

 Stock Exchange. This seed forms an essential quality of nearly all prepared 

 stock foods. The root bears a large number of nodules." (Scofield.) 



7714. Trigonella corniculata. 



7715. Festuca faxara. 



7716. Vicia lute a. 



7717. Vicia sicula. 



"Specimen found growing wild near the botanical station at Algiers. So 

 far as known, the plant is not cultivated, but is found very commonly along 

 the Algerian coast. The stems are rather small. It is of no present value as a 

 forage plant. ' ' (Scofield. ) 



7718. Vicia Egyptian a. 

 (Not in Kew Index. ) 



7719. Astragalus boeticus. 



"Specimen found growing wild in the garden of the School of Medicine of 

 Algiers. So far as known, this plant has not been introduced into culture. 

 The stem is upright, though inclined to be weak, 20 to 24 inches high ; rather 

 straggling in habit of growth; plant deserves attention for improvement." 

 (Scofield. ) 



7720. Anthyllis tetraphylla. 



"Specimen found in the woods above Mustapha. This plant is said to be 

 adapted for use in arid regions. It has a creeping habit of growth, fruits very 

 freely, and produces a large number of root nodules." (Scofield. ) 



7721. Anthyllis vulneraria. 



"Specimen found in the woods above Mustapha. This plant is not common 

 in Algeria. It has a decidedly different habit of growth from that of A. tetra- 

 phylla. It grows very commonly along the bluffs above Hussien Dey." (Sco- 

 field,) 



