OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1908. 17 



23915. Carica papaya L. Papaw. 



From Singerton, near Hectorspruit, Transvaal, South Africa. Presented by- 

 Prof. J. Burtt Davy, government agrostologist and botanist, Transvaal Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa. Received October 

 26, 1908. 

 "These seeds were procured at an altitude of 1,200 feet, subtropical climate and 

 rather dry. The flavor was excellent, and though I can not say that it will prove 

 superior to that of some grown in the States, it is worth trying." (Davy.) 



23916. Phaseolus lunatus L. 



From Rio Mucury, Brazil. Presented by Mr. Fred Birch, Casa do Correio, 

 Theophilo Ottoni, Minas Geraes, Brazil. Received October 26, 1908. 

 "We have become acquainted with a remarkable legume here. It is a vine which 

 grows to a length of 40 to 50 feet or more, straggling over 3 or even 4 trees of the size 

 of orange trees. It bears its pods of (we have heard) 'most delicious' beans for 3 

 years in succession, and is very accommodating to a planter who is hard pressed for 

 time, for the beans will remain good on the vine for a long time after they are ripe. 

 Wherever the summer is hot enough, as in Florida, and there is no frost, it would 

 thrive, I think. The only thing it wants is a fertile soil and trees to climb over. One 

 plant will yield a large quantity of beans; on one I saw there were, I should think, 

 100 pods. The beans are so good that one friend said 'Everyone is mad after them.' " 

 (Birch.) 



23917. Carica sp. Wild papaw. 



From Upper Rio Mucury, Brazil. Presented by Mr. Fred Birch, Casa do Correio, 

 Theophilo Ottoni, Minas Geraes, Brazil. Received October 26, 1908. 

 "Seed of a tree called the 'wild mamau'i. e., wild papaw, as it (the fruit) greatly 

 resembles a papaw in shape. The tree has a large, thick, quickly tapering trunk 

 about 2 feet 6 inches in diameter at the base and a comparatively small head, so that 

 one is quite a remarkable object in the landscape; naturally it only grows in rich forest 

 soil and usually on a slope. "Whenever the natives find a young one in the forests 

 they always take it home and plant it near their door, as it is in great repute as a 

 medicine tree. They firmly believe that there is no finer remedy for anaemia than 

 its fruits. Do not forget that this fruit is a somewhat difficult one to eat. It has the 

 strange effect of scratching the tongue and sides of throat so much as to draw blood. 

 Whether this is due to minute spicules of flinty substance or a corrosive property of 

 the juice I have not yet found out, but I found that when my mouth and throat had 

 become hardened by eating 3 or 4 I could take them with impunity. The largest 

 fruits are quite small compared to the cultivated papaw, being only 4 inches long and 

 1£ inches in diameter, of a bright orange color, with tender skin and of luscious ap- 

 pearance. The foliage is very ornamental, like horse-chestnut in miniature; it is 

 quite striking and unlike every other forest tree here." (Birch.) 



23918 and 23919. 



From New York. Presented by Mr. George V. Nash, head gardener, New York 

 Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York City, at the request of Mr. Frank 

 N. Meyer. Received October 26, 1908. 

 Seed of each of the following: 



23918. Berberis amurensis Rupr. 

 " Stock secured from Biltmore Nursery in 1903." (Nash.) 

 "A densely branched shrub 4 to 5 feet high, quite variable, as seen in the 

 New York Botanic Garden. At the time of my visit, early in September, 

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