﻿54 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



40603 to 40607. Continued. Quoted notes by Mr. A. Sugden. 



40604. Brassica pekinensis (Lour.) Skeels. Brassicacese. Pe-tsai. 

 " Shantung cabbage. It grows in the north of China, is lettuce shaped, 



and weighs from 5 to 8 pounds. When boiled it is nearly as good, if not 

 quite, as sea kale; eaten raw, in salad, it is of so delicate a flavor that 

 I know of no vegetable in England to approach it. It is an autumn cab- 

 bage, should be planted about 18 inches apart, thrives best with moisture, 

 and in Shantung is well watered every day ; there the seed is sown in 

 June. When nearly full grown it should be tied round so as to give it a 

 good white heart. If it can be acclimatized in this country it will be a 

 great addition to our vegetables." (Extract from George Hughes's letter 

 to the Kew Royal Gardens, April 21, 1887. ) 



40605. Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. Malacese. Chinese haw, 

 " Suan cha (tza). The fruit of this hawthorn is about as big as a dam- 

 son and to my mind excellent as stewed fruit or as a cheese. To cook, 

 simmer in hot water for a few minutes till soft enough to pull the skin off 

 with the fingers ; if cut off with a knife they say much of the coloring 

 matter is lost; our cook then pokes the stones out through the top with 

 a chopstick ; they are then stewed for a few minutes with lots of sugar ; 

 the rough way of cooking is to cut in half to remove stones and not to 

 peel. They look nicer the other way and the skin does not improve them 

 for eating." 



40606. Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. Malacese. Chinese haw. 

 "Suan jha (tza). Fruits larger than those of the preceding number 



[S. P. I. No. 40605], which see for description." 



40607. Solanum sp. Solanaceae. 



" The pods were white, but turned yellow as they ripened ; there was 

 but a bit of leaf left, which looked something like a slender cabbage leaf." 



40608. Cannabis sativa L. Moracese. Hemp. 



From Damascus, Syria. Presented by Mr. W. Stanley Hollis, American 



consul general, Beirut, Syria, who secured it from Consular Agent Young, 



Damascus. Received April 16, 1915. 



"Turkish hemp. The seeds should be planted in well-irrigated or nearly 



marshy, rich ground and at the time of year that will favor the quickest 



growth, as, of course, the higher the shoots can be grown, the longer and better 



the fiber that will be produced." (Young.) 



40609. Osterdamia TENuiFOLiA (Trin.) Kuntze. Poacese. 



Japanese lawn grass. 



From Yokohama, Japan. Purchased from the Yokohama Nursery Com- 

 pany. Plants received April 30, 1915. 

 " Birodoshiba." 



40610 and 40611. Psidium guajava L. Myrtacese. Guava. 



From New Smyrna, Fla. Presented by Mr. John Y. Detwiler. Plants re- 

 ceived May 1, 1915. Quoted notes by Mr. Detwiler. 



40610. " Pink variety. Plants over a year old, which possibly by the 

 inarching process can be made to bear earlier than usual. The largest 

 fruits I have seen weighed 17£ ounces ; they have been known to weigh 

 20 ounces." 



40611. " Pure white variety." 



