8 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



noted place at Wellesley, Mass.; molave, Vitex parviflora A. Jiiss. 

 (No. 37705), the forest tree producing one of the best high-grade 

 building timbers in the Philippines; and the sycamore tree of the 

 Bible, Ficm syeomorus L. (No. 37729), a long-lived tree much 

 esteemed for its shade, which the Arabs beat to induce it to bear its 

 inferior figs. 



FIBER PLANTS. 



Two fiber plants were brought from Brazil by the expedition sent 

 there in October, 1913: The caroa, Neoglaziovia variegata (Arruda) 

 Mez, from Joazeiro (No. 37794), a species of BromeliacesB growing 

 wild in the caatinga lands along the Sao Francisco River and used 

 by the natives for hammock ropes, and the piassava palm, Attalea 

 funifera Martius (No. 37868), from Bahia, from the fiber of which 

 most excellent brooms and brushes are made, while from the hard 

 nuts buttons are manufactured. 



VrGETABLES. 



Of new vegetables there are a number of unusually interesting 

 rspecies. Mr. Wester sends from Manila a new variety of roselle 

 (No. 37698) which matures 20 days earlier than the Victor variety 

 and may be useful as a jelly producer farther north than the Victor 

 can be grown; he directs attention also to a cucumber (No. 37700) 

 introduced into the Philippines from Seharunpur, which has shown 

 resistance to insect attacks and is proving to be one of the best 

 sorts of cucumbers for trial in the Tropics; E. Webb & Sons, of 

 Wordsley, England, have sent in No. 37807, which purports to be 

 a hybrid between thousand-headed kale and kohl-rabi, a vegetable 

 with a thickened stem growing 5 feet high, which is suitable for for- 

 age during the winter; Mr. Meyer has secured plants of the Chinese 

 ginger (No. 38180), the candied rhizomes of which are shipped from 

 China to America in great quantities; five varieties (Nos. 38356 to 

 38360) of the very best starch, table, and feeding potatoes of Polish 

 origin, bred by the Polish plant breeder, Henry Dotowski, have 

 been secured; from New Zealand has been brought in the New Era 

 potato (No. 37947), which, according to J. G. Harris, of Raetihi, 

 has not been affected by potato blight, whereas other varieties on 

 either side of it have been blackened. What resembles closely the 

 yampee yam of Jamaica, Dioscorea alata L. (No. 37943), seems to 

 have secured a foothold at Avon Park, Fla., and is doing as well 

 there, according to Mr. J. De Hoff, as the sweet potato. , It deserves 

 serious study. From the region about Coban, Guatemala, Mr. O. F. 

 Cook, during his expedition there in 1914, sent seeds of the remark- 

 able pacaya salad palm, Chamaedorea sp. (Nos. 38403 and 38404), 



