﻿52 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  30041— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  "The 
  natives 
  state 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  years 
  the 
  samh 
  is 
  more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  in 
  others, 
  

   especially 
  when 
  a 
  generous 
  amount 
  of 
  rain 
  falls 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  west, 
  

   in 
  which 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  samh 
  districts 
  receive 
  a 
  small 
  share 
  thereof. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  plants 
  grow 
  close 
  together, 
  with 
  short 
  stems 
  like 
  lentils. 
  The 
  Bedouins 
  pull 
  

   them 
  up 
  by 
  hand 
  and 
  flail 
  with 
  a 
  stick, 
  which 
  removes 
  the 
  small 
  seed 
  pods. 
  These 
  

   are 
  then 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  wells, 
  and 
  holes 
  from 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  bathtub 
  up 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   sandy 
  clay 
  soil 
  and 
  filled 
  with 
  water. 
  The 
  seed 
  pods 
  are 
  thrown 
  into 
  these 
  holes 
  in 
  

   small 
  quantities 
  and 
  stirred 
  by 
  the 
  women 
  with 
  sticks 
  and 
  their 
  bare 
  feet. 
  The 
  action 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  opens 
  the 
  pods; 
  the 
  seeds 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  while 
  the 
  hulls 
  float. 
  The 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  then 
  sifted 
  through 
  fine 
  sieves, 
  to 
  take 
  out 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  grit 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   and 
  ground 
  into 
  flour. 
  The 
  bread 
  made 
  from 
  this 
  is 
  very 
  black 
  and 
  gritty, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   being 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  way 
  the 
  seeds 
  are 
  hulled 
  in 
  sandy 
  holes. 
  To 
  improve 
  

   the 
  bread 
  the 
  natives 
  add 
  a 
  little 
  sugar 
  to 
  the 
  flour 
  or 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  molasses 
  made 
  from 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  juniper 
  tree 
  (Juniperus 
  phoenicea) 
  by 
  boiling 
  and 
  then 
  straining 
  

   them. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  plant, 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  learn, 
  grows 
  in 
  a 
  clayey, 
  sandy, 
  saline 
  soil, 
  and 
  where 
  

   very 
  little 
  rain 
  falls; 
  it 
  ripens 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  as 
  barley, 
  but, 
  contrary 
  to 
  most 
  

   other 
  plants, 
  the 
  seed 
  pods 
  do 
  not 
  open 
  when 
  ripe. 
  They 
  are 
  affected 
  by 
  dampness 
  

   but 
  not 
  by 
  heat, 
  which 
  enables 
  the 
  Bedouin 
  to 
  collect 
  them 
  all 
  summer. 
  

  

  "Possibly 
  this 
  plant 
  might 
  thrive 
  in 
  some 
  arid 
  region 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  

   while 
  it 
  might 
  never 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  human 
  food, 
  examination 
  might 
  show 
  it 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  

   economic 
  value." 
  (Extract 
  from 
  the 
  Daily 
  Consular 
  and 
  Trade 
  Reports, 
  Feb. 
  16, 
  1911.) 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  — 
  Sandy 
  shores 
  and 
  desert 
  places 
  in 
  southern 
  Syria 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  

   Red 
  Sea. 
  

  

  30042 
  to 
  30060. 
  

  

  From 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  Received 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Frank 
  N. 
  Meyer, 
  agricultural 
  

   explorer, 
  March 
  9, 
  1911. 
  

  

  Cuttings 
  of 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  30042. 
  Vitis 
  vinifera 
  L. 
  Grape. 
  

  

  From 
  Khotan, 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  "(No. 
  801, 
  November 
  25, 
  1910.) 
  A 
  

   table 
  variety 
  called 
  Monahe. 
  Bunches 
  large 
  to 
  very 
  large; 
  berries 
  also 
  large, 
  

   of 
  greenish-yellow 
  color, 
  often 
  with 
  reddish 
  cheek 
  on 
  the 
  sun-exposed 
  side; 
  they 
  

   are 
  of 
  a 
  pleasant, 
  fresh-sweet 
  taste, 
  and 
  possess 
  good 
  keeping 
  and 
  shipping 
  

   qualities, 
  although 
  the 
  berries 
  easily 
  break 
  off 
  their 
  peduncles 
  when 
  becoming 
  

   dry. 
  They 
  can 
  also 
  be 
  dried 
  and 
  then 
  furnish 
  a 
  large, 
  meaty 
  raisin, 
  but 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  in 
  these 
  are 
  somewhat 
  too 
  large. 
  To 
  obtain 
  the 
  greatest 
  productivity 
  

   the 
  vines 
  should 
  be 
  pruned 
  with 
  long 
  wood. 
  

  

  "Grapes 
  in 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan 
  are 
  nearly 
  always 
  grown 
  on 
  arbors 
  and 
  with 
  

   long 
  wood. 
  The 
  vines 
  are 
  taken 
  down 
  in 
  late 
  autumn 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  frost 
  has 
  

   occurred, 
  tied 
  loosely 
  together, 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  shallow 
  ditch, 
  and 
  

   covered 
  with 
  dry 
  soil 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  thick. 
  In 
  spring 
  they 
  are 
  uncovered, 
  

   pruned, 
  and 
  tied 
  to 
  the 
  trellises. 
  As 
  temperatures 
  rarely 
  fall 
  below 
  zero, 
  

   Fahrenheit, 
  in 
  the 
  grape-growing 
  regions, 
  this 
  burying 
  of 
  the 
  vines 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   done 
  mainly 
  to 
  prevent 
  them 
  from 
  being 
  ruined 
  through 
  the 
  great 
  fluctuations 
  

   of 
  temperatures 
  that 
  are 
  experienced 
  in 
  central 
  Asia, 
  the 
  direct 
  hot 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  

   midday 
  sun 
  often 
  being 
  followed 
  by 
  very 
  cold 
  nights. 
  Grapes 
  are 
  always 
  grown 
  

   under 
  irrigation 
  in 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan, 
  but 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  given 
  varies 
  

   considerably 
  with 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  locality." 
  (Meyer.) 
  

   233 
  

  

  