44 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPOETED. 



36056 and 36057. 



From Mount Silinda, Melsetter, South Rhodesia. Presented by Dr. W. L. Thomp- 

 son, American Board Mission in South Africa. Received August 11, 1913. 



36056. Ipomoea batatas (L.) Poir. Sweet potato. 



(Xo. 1.) Ver>'' vigorous, and with us here a very satisfactory variety. They 

 are the opposite of vmeless, making exceptionally long \T.nes. The tubers form 

 more quickly than many of our varieties here, and are good size, good shape, and 

 good eating qualities. One peculiarity I have not noticed in any other red sweet 

 potatoes, if boiled and the thin skin stripped off, they are still red under the skin, 

 though just below the surface they are a rich golden yellow. " ( Thompson.) 



36057. CoLOCAsiA sp. 



" (No. 2.) An arum, called here Amadumha, which we prize as a vegetable. I 

 suppose it must be of the same family as the dasheen. This is the best by far that 

 we have here, though several other varieties are eaten. " ( Thompson.) 



' ' The plants of tMs dasheen are much like those of the Trinidad variety, except 

 that the petioles of the former are shaded the entire length with maroon. " (R. 

 A. Young.) 



36058. Nypa fruticans Wurmb. Nipa palm. 



From Manila, Philippine Islands. Presented by Mr. 0. W. Barrett, chief. Divi- 

 sion of Horticulture, Bureau of Agriculture. Received August 11. 1913. 



"The nipa is an erect, stemless palm of which the leaves and inflorescence rise from 

 a branched rootstock , the leaves running from 9 to 20 feet in length. It grows along the 

 tidal marshes of rivers in low, wet lands subject to overflows of brackish water as the 

 tides rise each day, and it will not thrive where either fresh or sea water alone is avail- 

 able. Nipa swamps of considerable size occur in practically all the Philippines, and 

 inasmuch as they occur in lands which otherwise are useless or ahnost without value, 

 the cultivation of nipa palms where they are cultivated, or the presence of nipa trees 

 wild where not cultivated, affords a profitable crop on little original outlay. 



' ' The nipa palm is one of the most useful plants in the Philippines or other tropical 

 countries. Its uses are outlined in the report of the Philippine Internal Revenue, as 

 follows: 'Of the leaf, the leaflets are used in the manufacture of shingles for house 

 building, hats, mats, and bags, pails for dipping water, and for coarse baskets; the mid- 

 ribs for brooms, tying rice bundles, and for sewing nipa shingles; and the stalk for fuel, 

 for floating logs, and as material for sewing shingles; the fruit is used as food and sweet 

 meats; and the sap is used fresh ^s a drink, fermented (tuba) as a drink, and for the 

 manufacture of sugar, alcohol, and vinegar. ' 



"The chief use of the plant, however, aside from the use of the fiber for hats and 

 various articles, is in the use of the sap for the manufacture of alcohol and native drinks. 

 From the sap come all the possibilities of sugar making. The report of the bureau 

 shows the cost of producing alcohol from the nipa paka as 2.7 cents gold per liter (1.05 

 quarts) as compared with 5.8 cents per liter for alcohol from sugar beets at $5 per ton; 

 5 cents for alcohol from sugar cane at S3. 25 per ton; 3.4 cents from cassava at $5 per ton; 

 6.6 cents from com at 70 cents per 56-pound bushel, and similar costs from other sources. 

 The reports claim that alcohol can be made more cheaply from the nipa palm than from 

 any other material. Moreover, the sap ferments with unusual rapidity, so that in less 

 than 20 hours the liquor is ready to be poured into the stills. There is one distillery in 

 the Philippines which is now producing 93 per cent alcohol 186 proof at a cost of 10 

 centavos, or 5 cents gold per liter on a 12-hour run at the distillery, and on a 24-hour 

 basis with a little reorganization it is known that the alcohol can be manufactured at 

 present in this establishment at 3.5 to 3.75 cents gold per liter. 



