﻿

JULY 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 1919. 



29 



48020. Eheum sp. Polygonacere. Rhubarb. 

 From Durban, Natal, Africa. Roots purchased from R. Mason & Son 



through Mr. William W. Masterson, American consul. Received Septem- 

 ber 20, 1919. 

 " A kind of garden rhubarb that is grown here, which will be a valuable in- 

 troduction if similar results can be obtained with it in America. This rhubarb 

 in the early spring (October here) is tender and crisp and is used extensively 

 for the table. Unlike our rhubarb, which soon becomes fibrous and tough, this 

 rhubarb lasts about seven months and is as good during that time as when 

 it first came on the market in the spring. I do not know whether this dif- 

 ference is caused by the climate, soil, or other local reasons, or whether it is 

 another kind of rhubarb. I only know it is delicious, is invariably good and 

 tender, and lasts over half the year." {Masterson.) 



48021. Phaseolus coccineus L. Fabacese. Scarlet Runner bean. 



From Chile. Presented by Mr. Hudson Maxim, Landing, N. J. Received 

 September 23, 1919. 

 " Chile beans which I obtained from a member of the Du Pont Company who 

 traveled in Argentina and Chile. These beans grow in a wet district at a high 

 altitude in the Andes and are very frost resistant. From early August until 

 the ground freezes in the fall one may have the very best of string beans from 

 this variety, and the large juicy pods, which are borne most proliflcally, may 

 be eaten even after they have been pretty well filled with seeds. By the latter 

 part of August the beans are large enough to be used as Limas, and they are 

 superior to any that I know. The plants want very rich soil and an abundance 

 of water and climbing space ; they reach a height of 20 feet or more. The dry 

 beans are hard, plump, and glossy." {Maxim.) 



48022. Beta vulgaris L. Chenopocliacese. Sugar beet. 

 From Naarden, Holland. Presented by Kuhn & Co., through Mr. Joseph W. 



Pincus. Received September 30, 1919. 

 Introduced for variety tests being carried on by Department specialists. The 

 following table shows results of experimental tests with this variety : 





Location of test. 



Sugar in 

 the beet. 



Yield per acre. 





Beets. Sugar. 





Per cent. 

 19.37 

 16.93 



Pounds. 

 35, 543 



39, 677 



Pounds. 

 6,885 

 6,717 



Zeeland, Holland 





48023. Eumex abyssinicus Jacq. Polygonaceae. 



From Loanda, Angola, Portuguese West Africa. Presented by Mr. John 



Gossweiler, Servicos de Agricultura. Numbered September 16, 1919. 



" This Rumex has proved a most interesting plant, reaching a height of 7 



to 8 feet in one season and yielding, from the first of June all through the 



summer, an abundance of succulent green leaves that make an excellent sub- 



stitute for spinach. It promises to be an excellent plant for our Southern 



States, where summer green-leaved vegetables are very scarce." {Peter Bisset.) 



74880—22 3 



