﻿52 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  31780 
  to 
  31832— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  31820. 
  Eruca 
  sativa 
  Hill. 
  Roquette. 
  

  

  From 
  Kara 
  wag, 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  

  

  "(No. 
  1515a, 
  December 
  10, 
  1910.) 
  A 
  variety 
  slightly 
  different 
  from 
  No. 
  1514a 
  

   (S. 
  P. 
  I. 
  No. 
  31819); 
  also 
  comes 
  from 
  a 
  warmer 
  locality. 
  Native 
  name 
  Sa-un. 
  

   The 
  same 
  remarks 
  as 
  made 
  under 
  No. 
  1514a 
  (S. 
  P. 
  I. 
  No. 
  31819) 
  apply 
  also 
  

   to 
  this 
  one." 
  (Meyer.) 
  

  

  31821. 
  Brassica 
  napus 
  L. 
  Mustard. 
  

   From 
  Khasan-dugra, 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  

  

  "(No. 
  1516a, 
  December 
  7, 
  1910.) 
  A 
  mustard 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  grow 
  very 
  tall. 
  

   Likes 
  a 
  somewhat 
  alkaline 
  soil. 
  An 
  oil 
  that 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  smear 
  over 
  bread 
  in 
  

   the 
  baking 
  process 
  is 
  expressed 
  from 
  the 
  seeds. 
  To 
  be 
  tested 
  with 
  care, 
  as 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  weedy 
  disposition." 
  (Meyer.) 
  

  

  31822. 
  Elae 
  agnus 
  angustifolia 
  L. 
  Oleaster. 
  

   From 
  Upal, 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  

  

  "(No. 
  1546a, 
  December 
  31, 
  1910.) 
  The 
  oleaster 
  is 
  mostly 
  seen 
  as 
  a 
  tall 
  

   shrub, 
  but 
  in 
  good 
  situations 
  it 
  grows 
  sometimes 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fair-sized 
  tree. 
  All 
  

   things 
  considered, 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  useful 
  tree 
  in 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan. 
  

   When 
  well 
  kept 
  it 
  supplies 
  excellent 
  hedges, 
  almost 
  impenetrable 
  to 
  man 
  and 
  

   beast. 
  From 
  the 
  branches 
  stuck 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  slanting 
  and 
  zigzag 
  fashion, 
  

   very 
  good 
  temporary 
  fences 
  can 
  be 
  made. 
  As 
  a 
  windbreak 
  it 
  is 
  unexcelled, 
  

   keeping 
  the 
  drying 
  desert 
  winds 
  off 
  the 
  cultivated 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  oasis. 
  As 
  a 
  

   sand 
  binder 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  value, 
  checking 
  blowing 
  and 
  encroaching 
  desert 
  

   sands 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent; 
  also 
  where 
  washouts 
  are 
  experienced, 
  its 
  masses 
  of 
  

   fibrous 
  roots 
  retain 
  the 
  soil 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  many 
  oases 
  its 
  wood 
  constitutes 
  the 
  chief 
  fuel 
  supply, 
  and 
  to 
  furnish 
  this 
  

   firewood 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  pollarded 
  every 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  years 
  without 
  suffering. 
  The 
  

   wood, 
  when 
  dry, 
  possesses 
  fine 
  heating 
  qualities 
  and 
  makes 
  a 
  good 
  bed 
  of 
  live 
  

   coals 
  which 
  lasts 
  the 
  whole 
  night 
  when 
  covered 
  up 
  with 
  ashes. 
  

  

  1 
  ' 
  The 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  form 
  are 
  too 
  small 
  and 
  too 
  astringent 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  value 
  

   to 
  man, 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cultivated 
  forms 
  supply 
  a 
  sweetmeat 
  to 
  children. 
  

   The 
  dry 
  cast-off 
  leaves 
  are 
  a 
  favorite 
  food 
  of 
  sheep, 
  goats, 
  donkeys, 
  and 
  cattle. 
  

   The 
  flowers 
  possess 
  a 
  remarkably 
  sweet 
  odor 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  rich 
  in 
  honey. 
  

  

  ' 
  ' 
  Its 
  highly 
  ornamental 
  qualities 
  combined 
  with 
  drought 
  and 
  alkali 
  resistant 
  

   capacities 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  class 
  as 
  a 
  desirable 
  garden 
  and 
  park 
  shrub 
  or 
  tree 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  arid 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Its 
  silvery-gray 
  foliage 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   olive 
  very 
  much, 
  while 
  in 
  autumn 
  the 
  contrast 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  multitude 
  

   of 
  generally 
  orange-red 
  small 
  fruits 
  is 
  gloriously 
  beautiful. 
  

  

  "The 
  habit 
  of 
  this 
  oleaster 
  is 
  extremely 
  variable, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  

   drooping 
  gracefully 
  when 
  becoming 
  old; 
  some, 
  however, 
  assume 
  quite 
  rigid 
  

   outlines. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  also 
  varies 
  considerably, 
  ranging 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   pea 
  up 
  to 
  an 
  ordinary 
  date. 
  The 
  berries 
  vary 
  from 
  pure 
  white 
  on 
  some 
  trees 
  to 
  

   dark 
  brownish 
  red 
  on 
  others. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  varia- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  size, 
  nuances 
  of 
  grayish 
  green, 
  and 
  the 
  relative 
  quantity 
  a 
  tree 
  may 
  

  

  

  "The 
  roots 
  are 
  sometimes 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  nodules 
  and, 
  as 
  the 
  trees 
  often 
  grow 
  quite 
  

   luxuriantly 
  even 
  in 
  pure 
  sand, 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  derive 
  nutrition 
  from 
  these 
  tuber- 
  

   cles 
  and, 
  perhaps, 
  even 
  fertilize 
  the 
  soil 
  to 
  some 
  extent. 
  One 
  notices, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  that 
  crops, 
  though 
  close 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  oleaster 
  trees, 
  are 
  not 
  impover- 
  

   ished 
  to 
  any 
  extent. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  central 
  Asia 
  seem 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   this 
  tree 
  to 
  any 
  other 
  sort 
  of 
  windbreak. 
  The 
  plants 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  grow 
  in 
  pure 
  

   248 
  

  

  