﻿26 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  29484. 
  Cyperus 
  papyrus 
  L. 
  Papyrus, 
  

  

  From 
  Philadelphia, 
  Pa. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  A. 
  Dreer. 
  Received 
  February 
  1, 
  

   1911. 
  Secured 
  at 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  J. 
  Brand 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  his 
  paper- 
  

   plant 
  investigations. 
  

  

  "This 
  sedge 
  grows 
  in 
  Egypt, 
  Abyssinia, 
  and 
  Asia 
  Minor, 
  growing 
  5 
  to 
  12 
  feet 
  high. 
  

   According 
  to 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Aaronsohn, 
  of 
  Palestine, 
  a 
  specially 
  large 
  form 
  grows 
  in 
  the 
  lakes 
  

   above 
  the 
  Dead 
  Sea. 
  In 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  the 
  Egyptian 
  papyri 
  or 
  rolls, 
  the 
  stems 
  were 
  

   split 
  into 
  long, 
  thin 
  bands 
  which 
  were 
  arranged 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  on 
  a 
  hard, 
  smooth 
  surface. 
  

   Another 
  set 
  of 
  these 
  bands 
  or 
  strips 
  was 
  then 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  first 
  at 
  right 
  angles. 
  The 
  

   whole 
  was 
  then 
  subjected 
  to 
  pressure, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  sheet 
  was 
  rubbed 
  smooth 
  with 
  

   ivory 
  or 
  other 
  hard 
  material. 
  These 
  sheets 
  were 
  then 
  glued 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  ends 
  to 
  

   form 
  rolls 
  of 
  the 
  desired 
  length. 
  Ordinarily 
  the 
  cortex 
  or 
  outer 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  stems 
  did 
  

   not 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  sheets 
  but 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  making 
  rough 
  cordage. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  that 
  papyrus 
  was 
  not 
  used 
  to 
  make 
  paper 
  in 
  the 
  

   modern 
  sense 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fibers 
  are 
  chemically 
  digested 
  or 
  mechanically 
  reduced 
  to 
  

   pulp 
  and 
  then 
  formed 
  into 
  sheets 
  from 
  a 
  thin, 
  watery 
  solution. 
  ' 
  ' 
  {Brand. 
  ) 
  

  

  29485. 
  Machilus 
  nanmu 
  (Oliv.) 
  Hemsl. 
  Nanmu. 
  

   From 
  Yachow, 
  West 
  China. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  F. 
  Beaman. 
  Received 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary 
  3, 
  1911. 
  

  

  "This 
  is 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Machilus, 
  a 
  genus 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  Laurus, 
  which 
  grows 
  to 
  great 
  

   size 
  in 
  western 
  China. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  durability 
  of 
  its 
  wood, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  centuries 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  in 
  the 
  

   construction 
  of 
  coffins. 
  Owing 
  to 
  its 
  scarcity 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  planks 
  to 
  construct 
  

   a 
  coffin 
  often 
  costs 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  hundred 
  dollars. 
  The 
  imperial 
  palaces 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   finished 
  in 
  this 
  wood, 
  and 
  huge 
  columns 
  were 
  brought 
  at 
  great 
  expense 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  

   roof 
  of 
  the 
  temple 
  at 
  the 
  Ming 
  tombs, 
  north 
  of 
  Peking. 
  It 
  is 
  worth 
  careful 
  experiments 
  

   to 
  find 
  whether 
  there 
  are 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  adapted 
  to 
  its 
  culture. 
  It 
  might 
  

   easily 
  prove 
  an 
  important 
  article 
  of 
  export 
  if 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  propagated 
  readily 
  in 
  this 
  

   country." 
  {Walter 
  T. 
  Swingle.) 
  

  

  See 
  No. 
  28128 
  for 
  previous 
  introduction. 
  

  

  29486. 
  Diospyros 
  lotus 
  L. 
  Persimmon. 
  

  

  From 
  Tientsin, 
  China. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Yamei 
  Kin. 
  Received 
  February 
  

   3, 
  1911. 
  

   "Seed 
  of 
  the 
  seedling 
  persimmon, 
  sold 
  on 
  the 
  market 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  dried-fig 
  form. 
  

   This 
  wild 
  persimmon 
  is 
  called 
  hei 
  tsao 
  or 
  black 
  tsao, 
  not 
  a 
  persimmon 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  growers 
  ' 
  classification 
  here. 
  ' 
  ' 
  {Kin.) 
  

  

  29488. 
  Vigna 
  sp. 
  

  

  From 
  China. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  M. 
  W. 
  Farnham, 
  Shanghai, 
  China. 
  Received 
  

   February 
  2, 
  1911. 
  

   ' 
  ' 
  Seed 
  of 
  a 
  wild 
  pea 
  found 
  on 
  mountains. 
  The 
  bloom 
  is 
  very 
  fragrant. 
  ' 
  ' 
  {Farnham.) 
  

   Seeds 
  olive 
  brown, 
  mottled 
  with 
  black. 
  

  

  29489. 
  Nicotiana 
  tabacum 
  L. 
  Tobacco. 
  

  

  From 
  Mexico. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Mackie, 
  director, 
  Yaqui 
  Valley 
  Experi- 
  

   ment 
  Station, 
  Esperanza, 
  Sonora, 
  Mexico. 
  Received 
  February 
  4, 
  1911. 
  

   "Native 
  tobacco 
  seed 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  Yaqui 
  Indians. 
  This 
  tobacco 
  is 
  called 
  

   Macnchi 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  prized 
  by 
  the 
  Mayos 
  and 
  Yaquis 
  for 
  centuries. 
  The 
  Mayos 
  

   and 
  Yaquis 
  are 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  tribe 
  living 
  on 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  names." 
  

   {Mackie.) 
  

  

  233 
  

  

  