﻿36 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPOKTED. 



43485 to 43487— Continued. 



stroyed by frost. The last of the fruits of this year's crop are 

 now being picked. The fruit of this tree seems to ripen later than 

 most of the avocados in Antigua, but this may be due to the differ- 

 ence in elevation. The fruit is of good size and quality, oblong- 

 oval, weighing up to a pound, deep green in color, with flesh of 

 good flavor and a seed rather large in size, tight in the cavity, 

 form truncate oval, size medium to above medium, weight 10 to 

 16 ounces, length 3f to 31 inches, greatest breadth 3 to 3f inches; 

 base obliquely flattened, the stem inserted to one side in a shallow 

 cavity ; stem very stout, about 4 inches long ; apex truncate to 

 rounded, the stigmatic point slightly raised ; surface pebbled or 

 slightly rough, dull deep green in color, with a few yellowish 

 dots and numerous rough russet scars ; skin one-sixteenth of an 

 inch thick at base, slightly thicker toward apex of fruit, coarsely 

 granular, separating readily, brittle ; flesh firm, oily, rich yellow 

 near the seed, changing to pale green near the skin, very slightly 

 discolored around the base of the seed with fiber traces; flavor 

 very rich, nutty ; quality very good ; seed medium to rather large 

 in size, oblate-conic in form, If to 2 inches broad, tight in the 

 cavity, with both seed coats adhering closely." 



43488. Dioscorea praehensilis Benth. Dioscoreaceae. Yam, 

 From Ogbomosho, Nigeria, West Africa. Tubers presented by Dr. George 



Green. Received October 3, 1916. 

 " The dry season is from November to March, and during this time there 

 usually comes one good shower of rain, about the end of January or early in 

 February. (This year the rain came on February 3 and amounted to 2.03 

 inches — quite a good shower.) The native method of raising yams in Nigeria 

 is as follows : The natives prepare the ground in hills or heaps about 3 feet in 

 diameter, 2 feet in height, and 4 feet apart. These hills are made and the yams 

 planted some time in January. The yams are cut into cross sections about 3 

 inches in thickness, and then these cross sections are cut into two pieces. One 

 piece is planted in each hill, about 4 inches deep, and then covered with the soil ; 

 a tuft of grass is placed on top of the hill to protect the planted yam from the 

 heat of the sun, and more soil is put on top of the grass to prevent the wind 

 blowing the grass away. The yam sprouts through the sides of the hill, and the 

 vines are supported by stout sticks placed perpendicularly or horizontally. 

 Where the yams are being grown in a field that was used the year before for the 

 raising of corn, the cornstalks that were left standing are broken and bent hori- 

 zontally to the ground and the vines run on these stalks. The hills require 

 frequent weedings and cultivation, and yams planted in January should be ready 

 for digging in July. The yams require about 6 months to mature. When the 

 vines die off, the yams are usually ready for digging. If the vines have died off 

 entirely, it does not hurt the yams to leave them in the ground for a week or two. 

 We use them entirely in the place of Irish potatoes ; the method of cooking is 

 quite similar to potatoes. Yams may be either boiled, baked, or steamed. The 

 yam is cut into pieces of suitable size for cooking. I can recommend it as an 

 article of food." (Green.) 



43489. Carica papaya L. Papayacese. Papaya. 



From Allahabad, India. Presented by Prof. P. H. Edwards, Ewing Chris- 

 tian College. Received October 27, 1916. 

 " Papitar 



