﻿56 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  28825— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  "In 
  appearance 
  khat 
  is 
  a 
  dark-green 
  shrub 
  of 
  thick 
  foliage, 
  its 
  elliptical 
  leaves 
  vary- 
  

   ing 
  greatly 
  in 
  size, 
  color, 
  and 
  texture 
  in 
  individual 
  plants. 
  In 
  general 
  the 
  mature 
  

   leaves 
  will 
  average 
  from 
  1^ 
  to 
  If 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  from 
  three-eighths 
  to 
  five-eighths 
  

   of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  width, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  grown. 
  

  

  "Khat 
  is 
  grown 
  altogether 
  from 
  cuttings. 
  Cultivation 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  simple 
  and 
  original. 
  

   The 
  field 
  is 
  first 
  flooded 
  until 
  the 
  soil 
  has 
  absorbed 
  all 
  the 
  water 
  it 
  can 
  hold; 
  care 
  is 
  

   taken 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  brings 
  in 
  no 
  sand 
  with 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  well 
  mixed 
  with 
  sheep 
  and 
  

   goat 
  manure 
  and 
  left 
  to 
  'ripen' 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days. 
  When 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  dry 
  

   and 
  'ripe 
  ' 
  they 
  set 
  out 
  the 
  cuttings 
  in 
  shallow 
  holes 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  feet 
  apart, 
  with 
  space 
  

   enough 
  between 
  the 
  rows 
  for 
  pickers 
  to 
  pass 
  easily 
  (usually 
  1\ 
  to 
  3 
  feet). 
  The 
  cuttings 
  

   grow 
  rapidly 
  and 
  spread 
  widely. 
  They 
  are 
  given 
  shallow 
  hoeing 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  year, 
  

   by 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  shrub 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  high, 
  with 
  a 
  spread 
  of 
  perhaps 
  18 
  inches. 
  Soft 
  

   earth 
  is 
  then 
  piled 
  up 
  about 
  the 
  base 
  to 
  conserve 
  all 
  moisture, 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  become 
  

   more 
  numerous. 
  Though 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  begin 
  picking 
  the 
  leaves 
  when 
  the 
  plant 
  

   is 
  a 
  year 
  old, 
  this 
  may 
  not 
  always 
  occur. 
  The 
  Arab 
  follows 
  a 
  different 
  rule. 
  When 
  

   he 
  sees 
  the 
  leaves 
  being 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  birds, 
  he 
  knows 
  they 
  are 
  ripe 
  and 
  of 
  good 
  flavor 
  

   for 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  khat 
  caravans 
  arrive 
  daily 
  at 
  Aden 
  about 
  11 
  a. 
  m. 
  The 
  British 
  Government 
  

   provides 
  rooms 
  for 
  the 
  storage 
  and 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  shrub, 
  which 
  later 
  is 
  taxed 
  according 
  to 
  

   weight. 
  On 
  every 
  25 
  pounds 
  of 
  the 
  high-grade 
  kinds 
  the 
  tax 
  is 
  $0.3244; 
  on 
  the 
  low- 
  

   grade 
  product 
  (which 
  is 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  common 
  people) 
  the 
  tax 
  is 
  $0.3244 
  for 
  every 
  20 
  

   pounds. 
  The 
  only 
  reason 
  advanced 
  for 
  the 
  higher 
  tax 
  being 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  cheaper 
  

   khat 
  is 
  that 
  its 
  use 
  is 
  more 
  common 
  and 
  therefore 
  the 
  more 
  to 
  be 
  discouraged. 
  

  

  "Khat 
  is 
  used 
  universally 
  throughout 
  all 
  Arabia. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  coolie 
  too 
  poor 
  to 
  

   buy 
  his 
  daily 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  plant. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  fact, 
  next 
  to 
  their 
  religion, 
  in 
  the 
  

   everyday 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  expense 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  all 
  intelligible 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  to 
  his 
  income, 
  and 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  explained 
  as 
  the 
  Arabs 
  explain 
  it, 
  to 
  wit: 
  that 
  

   without 
  khat 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  consider 
  life 
  worth 
  living, 
  nor 
  would 
  they 
  ever 
  achieve 
  

   the 
  energy 
  to 
  do 
  any 
  sustained 
  or 
  arduous 
  work. 
  

  

  "The 
  Arab 
  of 
  Aden 
  who 
  earns 
  30 
  cents 
  per 
  day 
  spends 
  at 
  least 
  half 
  of 
  it 
  for 
  khat. 
  

   In 
  Hodeida 
  the 
  man 
  earning 
  the 
  same 
  wage 
  will 
  average 
  10 
  cents 
  per 
  day 
  for 
  the 
  

   support 
  of 
  his 
  family 
  and 
  expend 
  the 
  other 
  20 
  cents 
  wholly 
  on 
  khat. 
  Among 
  the 
  better 
  

   class 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  expenditure 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  high, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  their 
  

   incomes, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wealthy 
  will 
  spend 
  several 
  dollars 
  per 
  day 
  for 
  their 
  favorite 
  

   passion. 
  The 
  fresh 
  leaves 
  and 
  tender 
  stems 
  are 
  always 
  chewed, 
  never 
  brewed 
  or 
  

   made 
  into 
  any 
  sort 
  of 
  beverage. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  Arabia 
  of 
  the 
  chemical 
  con- 
  

   stituents 
  of 
  khat. 
  " 
  (Moser.) 
  

  

  See 
  No. 
  24714 
  for 
  previous 
  introduction. 
  

  

  28826. 
  Passiflora 
  edulis 
  Sims. 
  Passion 
  flower. 
  

  

  From 
  Melbourne, 
  Australia. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mrs. 
  Alexander 
  Graham 
  Bell, 
  Wash- 
  

   ington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  Received 
  September 
  29, 
  1910. 
  

   "Passion 
  fruit 
  will 
  grow 
  in 
  the 
  States; 
  it 
  prefers 
  a 
  loose 
  sandy-loam 
  soil, 
  but 
  must 
  

   be 
  high 
  enough 
  up 
  to 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  frosts, 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  sea 
  for 
  preference, 
  

   within, 
  say, 
  10 
  miles. 
  It 
  requires 
  plenty 
  of 
  manure 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  grown 
  on 
  a 
  wire 
  

   trellis, 
  that 
  is, 
  an 
  ordinary 
  fence 
  with 
  posts 
  15 
  feet 
  apart. 
  In 
  place 
  of 
  having 
  the 
  wire 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  fence, 
  nail 
  a 
  crosspiece 
  about 
  18 
  inches 
  long 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  each 
  post 
  and 
  run 
  

   two 
  wires 
  along 
  this 
  crosspiece. 
  Train 
  the 
  vine 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  main 
  stem 
  until 
  the 
  wires 
  

   are 
  reached, 
  then 
  run 
  an 
  arm 
  out 
  each 
  side 
  along 
  the 
  wires. 
  The 
  lateral 
  growths 
  will 
  

   hang 
  down 
  like 
  a 
  curtain 
  and 
  the 
  fruit 
  bears 
  on 
  this 
  lateral 
  growth. 
  Plant 
  vines 
  15 
  

   feet 
  apart, 
  one 
  between 
  each 
  two 
  posts; 
  train 
  vines 
  up 
  a 
  stick 
  until 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  wire. 
  

   Rows 
  to 
  be 
  15 
  feet 
  apart. 
  The 
  best 
  manure 
  for 
  them 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  7 
  hundredweight 
  

   223 
  

  

  