68 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



36718 to 36810— Continued. 



36808. DiosPYROs lotus L. Persimmon. 

 "(No. 1995a. Peking, China. October 22 to 29, 1913.) Twenty thousand 



seeds of the wild persimmon from North China; to be used as stocks for cultivated 

 varieties of persimmons, especially for the drier parts of the United States," 



36809. SojA MAX (L.) Piper. Soy bean. 

 {Glycine hispida Maxim.) 



"(No. 1996a. Peking, Cliina. October 30, 1913.) A rare, brown and black 

 striped variety of soy bean, used roasted as a delicacy. Very wholesome, 

 apparently, and worthy of trial by the American public. Could be slightly 

 salted and buttered and sold like pop corn and peanuts. Chinese name of this 

 bean Ghu pee doh, meaning 'tiger-skin bean.' " 



36810. Albizzia julibrissin Durazz. Silk tree. 

 "(No. 1997a. Peking, China. October 24, 1913.) The so-called silk tree, 



a beautiful little tree with feathery foliage and delicate rosy flowers, which are 

 borne in large masses. Withstands drought, dry heat, and a fair amount of 

 alkali quite successfully, and thrives to perfection in the rather uncongenial 

 climate of North China. Of value as an ornamental garden and park tree, 

 especially for the sections of the United States where the summers are dry and 

 hot and the winters not too severe. Produces an especially fine effect when 

 planted in a row or in a scattered group in some prominent place. Can also 

 be used as a shade-giving tree on tea plantations, as is being done at Chakva, 

 near Batoum, in the Caucasus, where by this method the picking season is 

 considerably extended. This North China form may possibly be hardier than 

 the t}npes at present cultivated in America, as suggested by Prof. Sargent, 

 director of the Arnold Arboretum." 



36811 to 36813. 



From the Sudan. Presented by Gov. H. W. Jackson, of Merowe, Dongola Prov- 

 ince, through Prof. S. C. Mason, of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Received 

 December 9, 1913. 



Quoted notes by Prof. Mason. 

 36811 and 36812. Allium cepa L. Onion. 



"From northern Amalad, Amer Island, near the fourth cataract of the Nile. 

 Taken from the ground in May and early June (our Sacaton and Texas dates 

 of harv^est), they are now (September 21) about as hard as baseballs. They 

 are not mild flavored by any means, and an onion with such keeping qualities 

 in this intense heat is surely a find. These people sow the seed in beds in 

 October or November, and transplant to the growing beds in February. I 

 think the Imperial Valley, Yuma, and Indio would be the correct places to try 

 out this seed." 



36811. "Dongola onion, red." 36812. "Dongola onion, white." 

 "There are three quite distinct types, but a round one with a pure white 



color and of mediiun size is regarded as the best." 

 36813. DoDONAEA viscosA (L.) Jacq. 



"Seed of a plant received from the gardens of the governor at Merowe. A 

 very interesting hedge plant, which is beautifully dense and green, responds 

 to the shears perfectly, and when taken in hand early makes a perfectly compact 

 wall clear to the ground. This shrub "was found at Erkowit, near Suakin, in 

 the hill countr>^ of the Sudan, under conditions which suggested that it might 

 be native there, but its presence was probably due to some remote importation, 



