JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1923 



17 



56390 to 56398— Continued. 



A large tree with decidedly sweet nuts." 

 For an illustration of this chestnut, 

 see Plate III. 



5639S. Chaetochloa italica (L.) Scribn. 

 Poaeese. (Setaria italica Beauv.) Millet. 



"(No. 60c. Peking, Chihli.) Millet forms 

 one of the most important cereal foods 

 of the natives of northern China. I con- 

 sider it delightful as a breakfast food, 

 although among the Chinese it is classed with 

 sweet potatoes as 'coolie food.' There "are 

 many varieties ranging in height up to 3 or 

 4 or even 6 feet, and there are said to be two 

 distinct groups, the ordinary kind and the 

 glutinous kind." 



56399 and 56400. 



From Darjiling, India. Seeds presented by 

 G. H. Cave, curator, Lloyd Botanic Gardens. 

 Received January 8, 1923. 



56399. Acer sterculiaceum Wall. Acera- 

 cese. (A. villosuvi Wall.) Maple. 



A handsome tree with gray bark, native to 

 the northwestern parts of the Himalayas at 

 altitudes of 7,000 to 9,000 feet. It sometimes 

 reaches a height of 80 feet. The thin shining- 

 green leaves are occasionally used for fodder, 

 and the white close-grained wood is beauti- 

 fully mottled. 



56400. Betula tjtilis D. Don. 

 (_B. bhojpattra Wall.) 



Betulacese. 

 Birch. 



A tree about 60 feet in height, with creamy 

 white trunk and branches and bark which 

 peels off in papery flakes. It is native to 

 subtropical regions of the Himalayas. The 

 oval, coarsely toothed, sharp-pointed leaves 

 are dark green above and paler beneath, and 

 3 inches long. In winter the orange-chocolate 

 color of the twigs is very striking. 



56401 to 56437. 



From China. Seeds presented by C. A. Reed, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. Received Janu- 

 ary 10, 1923. Quoted notes by Mr. Reed, 

 unless otherwise stated. 



56401 to 56403. Corylus spp. Betulacese. 



Filbert. 



56401. Corylus sp. 



"(No. 34ac. Shihkiachwang, Chihli.) 

 Typical nuts from the market, said to 

 have come from trees growing 100 miles 

 south of the town." 



56402. Corylus sp. 



"(No. 45fc. Hangchow, Chekiang.) 

 Nuts bought in the local market, but evi- 

 dently brought from some distance, pre- 

 sumably western China." 



56403. Corylus sp. 



"(No. 65c. Hwailai, Chihli.) Nuts 

 collected from wild plants growing along 

 the mountainous roadway southeast of 

 the Trappist Monastery." 



58404. Holcus sorghum L. Poaceee. 



(Sorghum vulgar e Pers.) Sorghum. 



"(No. 42c. Taiyuan, Shansi.) Typi- 

 cal specimens from the market." 



56405 to 56426. Juglans spp. Juglandacese. 



56405 to 56408. JUGLANS MANDSHURICA 



Maxim. Manchurian walnut. 



56405. "(No. 10c. Nankow Pass, 

 near Nankow, Chihli.) Obtained 

 through J. Hers, of Peking. An 

 uncultivated species with small 

 thick-shelled nuts, not valued very 

 highly by the natives. None of the 



18609—251 3 



56401 to 56437— Continued. 



trees were of large size, 30 feet being 

 the maximum height, with an aver- 

 age height of less than 20 feet. In 

 habit this species resembles Juglans 

 sieboldiana." 



56406. "(No. 19c. Hsinghuang, 

 Chihli. August, 1922.) Collected 

 in a valley north of the Ming 

 tombs." 



56407. " (No. 45ac. Nanking, 

 Kiangsu.) Nuts taken from a tree 

 near the residence of the president 

 of the University of Nanking. 

 The nuts of this species are known 

 here as 'butternuts,' as they are 

 also throughout Chosen and Man- 

 churia." 



56408. "(No. 63c. Hwailai, Chihli.) 

 Nuts obtained from wild trees 

 growing southeast of the Trappist 

 Monastery not far from the Great 

 Wall of China." 



56409 to 56425. Juglans regia L. 



Walnut. 



56409. "(Nos. lc, 3c, 4c, 5c, 53c, and 

 54c. Hwailai, Chihli.) Nuts ob- 

 tained from thrifty seedling trees 

 in the vicinity of the Trappist 

 Monastery. This place, which has 

 an altitude of about 2,500 feet, is 

 near the northernmost limit at 

 which Persian walnuts are found in 

 China. With these walnut trees 

 were apricots, plums, pears, and 

 peaches." 



56410. " (No. 2c. Pienshih, Shansi.) 

 Nuts obtained from a farmer living 

 near Pienshih, a half day's travel 

 west of Fen chow. This is an arid 

 mountainous region with loess soil, 

 subject to severe winters with 

 little precipitation. The tempera- 

 ture falls gradually in the autumn, 

 however, and rises gradually in the 

 spring, whum may account for the 

 successful raising of walnuts here 

 and in other parts of northern 

 China." 



56411. "(No. 6c. Yihsien, Shan- 

 tung. October 15, 1922.) Nuts 

 from a young seedling tree in the 

 garden of K. M. Gordon. These 

 nuts ripened on the tree and are of 

 good quality. Usually the walnut 

 crop of China is clubbed from the 

 trees two to five weeks before 

 ripening and the nuts covered with 

 straw and left to sweat and wilt for 

 a period of five to eight days. The 

 hulls are then removed, the nuts 

 superficially cured and then placed 

 on the market." 



56412. "(No. 7c. Tsinghua, Honan.) 

 Nuts selected in the market by 

 J. L. Buck, of the University of 

 Nanking, as being typical for that 

 locality." 



56413. "(No. 8c. Sinsiang, Honan.) 

 Nuts selected by J. L. Buck, of the 

 University of Nanking, as being 

 typical for that locality." 



56414. "(No. 9c. Peking.) From 

 the curio stands on Hattamen 

 Street. Nuts large, very rough, 

 with exceedingly thick, hard 

 shells." 



56415. "(No. lie. Tsingchow, Shan- 

 tung.) Nuts with very hard shells, 

 purchased in the market and said 

 to have come originally from west- 

 ern China." 



56416. "(No. 12c. Tsinan, Shan- 

 tung.) Typical nuts from the 

 market." 



