JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1923 



27 



56596 to 56603 — Continued. 



56601. Lactuca sativa L. Cichoriacese. 



Lettuce. 



"(No. 7817.) Oh soon. A peculiar vegetable 

 of which the thick inner stalk is eaten; this 

 stalk is about 2ty. feet long and 2 inches in 

 diameter, and it is cut into slices and boiled. 

 The leaves are discarded, as they are bitter." 



56602. Raphanus sativus L. Brassicacese. 



Radish. 



"(No. 7816.) Water radish. A large snow- 

 white oblong radish 3 feet long and 5 inches 

 thick, cooked like kohl-rabi." 



Spinacia oleracea L. Chenopodia- 

 cese. Spinach. 



"(No. 7812.) Po tsai. The dull-green leaves 

 are lyrate sinuate, with sharp-pointed tips 

 and lobes and long-ribbed fleshy stems. The 

 roots are turnip shaped. The leaves are 

 cooked like spinach. The seeds are sown in 

 seed beds and set out in October or a little 

 earlier and are brought to the market in 

 December." 



56604. Stachys sieboldi Miquel. 

 Menthacese. 



From Tengyueh, Yunnan, China. Tubers col- 

 lected by J. F. Rock, Agricultural Explorer of 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Re- 

 ceived February 16, 1923. 



"Yee huai. Small tubers spirally twisted like 

 snails, about 2 inches long, tapering at both ends. 

 When boiled for a half hour or an hour, seasoned, 

 and placed in butter and milk, these are delicious." 



56605. Zea mays L. Poacese. Corn. 



From Buitenzorg, Java. Seeds presented by 

 Dr. P. J. S. Cramer, director, General Experi- 

 ment Station. Received February 14, 1923. 



"White St. Croix mats (white St. Croix corn). In 

 1918 this corn was imported from St. Croix, Virgin 

 Islands, and it is one of the two imported varieties 

 which have done well in Java. St. Croix is a dent 

 corn, growing to 6 or 8 feet, with a very strong coarse 

 stem. Each plant produces normally one large ear 

 and no nubbins. The variety is medium maturing 

 (about 100 days in Java) and yields about the same 

 as Gele Menado mats [S .P. I. No. 56663]. The grain 

 is not as popular as that of flint-corn varieties, as 

 it can not be pounded like these. For the feeding 

 of cattle I think it to be of the same value as Madoera 

 mats [S. P. I. No. 56662] and Gele Menado mats." 

 (L. Koch.) 



56606 and 56607. Maltjs sylvestris 

 Mill. Malacese. (Pyrus maius L.) Apple. 



From Orleans, Loiret, France. Plants pre- 

 sented by Edmond Versin, St. Jean le Blanc. 

 Received February 26, 1923. Quoted notes 

 by Mr. Versin. 



" Court pendu. The tree is prolific, 

 but not very vigorous. The fruits are 

 greenish gray, becoming yellow at maturity, 

 and marked with red. They are of good 

 quality and will keep from November to 

 March." 



58607. " Reinette de Canada gris. The tree is 

 vigorous and very prolific, and the flower- 

 ing season medium. The fruits are large, of 

 a tarnished green which becomes a gray 

 russet, and of very good quality. They 

 will keep from December to March." 



56608. Actinidia chinensis Planch. 

 Dilleniacese. Yang-tao. 



From Chengtu, Szechwan, China. Seeds pre- 

 sented by George B. Newman, West China 

 Union University, at the request of B. F. 

 Lawrence, West China Mission, Suining, 

 Szechwan. Received February 23, 1923. 



"These 'hairy pears' came from the high foot- 

 hills, at altitudes of 4,000 to 8,000 feet, near Chengtu, 

 Szechwan." (Lawrence.) 



"The yang-tao, an ornamental deciduous climber 

 native to Szechwan, has attracted considerable 

 attention because of the high quality of its fruits. 

 The leaves have a plushlike texture and an un- 

 usual dark-green color, and their large size and 

 regular spacing add to the beauty of the vine. 

 The flowers are buff yellow to white, fragrant, often 

 iy 2 inches across, and are produced in great abun- 

 dance. The ovoid to globose, russet-brown villous 

 fruits are about 2 inches long. The flesh is green, of 

 most excellent flavor, resembling that of a goose- 

 berry but tempered with a flavor peculiarly its 

 own. The fruit is good when eaten fresh and also 

 makes very fine jam and sauce." (David Fair- 

 child.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 55840. 



56609 and 56610. Hordeum spp. 

 Poacese. Barley. 



From Ayr, Scotland. Seeds presented by 

 McGill & Smith. Received February 24, 

 1923. Quoted notes by McGill & Smith. 



Hordeum distichon palmella Har- 



lan. 



"Recent trials of our new barley Golden 

 Pheasant show that it is a better yielder than 

 Plumage Archer, and we think it should be 

 well adapted for the United States, as it is 

 hardy and tillers well. It is a cross between 

 Goldthorpe, one of the best British brewers' 

 varieties, with Pfauen, the best brewers' 

 variety in Germany. It is a- .big yielder." 



56610. Hordeum intermedium haxtoni 

 Koern. 



"Our 6-rowed barley is still in the experi- 

 mental stage. It will probably never be 

 anything but a feeding barley because of the 

 amount of small seeds. The center rows are 

 small twisted seeds, while the two side rows 

 are equal to any other variety; the small 

 seeds could be used for sowing. This variety 

 was produced by crossing two 2-rowed bar- 

 leys." 



56611 to 56614. 



From Nioka, Ituri, Belgian Congo. Seeds pre- 

 sented by Jean Claessens, Ferme Experi- 

 mentale du Haute Ituri. Received Feb- 

 ruary 26, 1923. Quoted notes by Mr. Claes- 

 sens. 



56611. Amaranthus caudatus L. Ama- 

 ranthaceae. 



" Lenga-lenga, an interesting plant from 

 which the natives prepare a flour which is 

 made into dough and cooked. The plants 

 become 70 or 80 centimeters high, with a 

 rather open habit, and the fruiting panicles 

 are red, yellowish, or yellowish with reddish 

 striae." 



56612 and 56613. Holcus sorghum L. Poa- 

 cese. (Sorghum vulgar e Pers.) Sorghum. 



56612. "(October, 1922.) A variety 

 grown by the Bolos, but not by the 

 Walendi." 



56613. "(October, 1922.) A variety 

 grown by the Walendi, probably a 

 mixture." 



56614. Nicotiana rustica L. Solanacese. 



Tobacco. 



"(October, 1922.) A yellow-flowered to : 

 bacco grown by the natives of Haute Ituri 

 and eastern Uele. This tobacco is very 

 strong and aromatic and very popular with 

 the natives. The plant becomes 60 or 70 

 centimeters in height." 



