JUNE 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1920. 



83 



Roselle sauce makes an excellent substitute for cranberry sauce. Analysis 

 (by the Food Laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry) of the calyx of roselle 

 i and the fruit of the cranberry show striking resemblances between them, the 

 respective percentages being as follows: Water, 88.91 and 88.53; solids, 11.09 

 and 11.47; ash, 0.89 and 0.25; marc (insoluble matter), 6.67 and 4.60; acid (as 

 malic), 2.77 and 2.74; reducing sugar (as invert), 0.33 and 1.90; sucrose, 0.03 

 and 0.10. Benzoic acid is absent in the roselle calyx and present in the cran- 

 berry fruit. Starch is absent in the roselle calyx. 



Weight of fruit of roselle, 6.11 grams; cranberry, 0.94 grams. Percentage 

 of edible portion : Roselle, consisting of calyx minus portion of its base which is 

 cut away in removing the seed pods, 50.22 ; cranberry, 100. 



The young roselle stems also make good jelly, and for such use the plants 

 can be grown almost anywhere in the North or South. Roselle is grown in 

 India for its fiber, which is used in the manufacture of cordage and coarser 

 textile products, and could be cultivated for this purpose in the southern United 

 States, For fiber the crop is cut while in flower, dried, made into bundles, and 

 soaked in water for 15 or 20 days. It is then possible to wash out a strong 

 silky*fiber known as roselle hemp, considered by some to be the equal of jute. 

 The leaves are sometimes used as a salad, and the seeds are supposed to have 

 medicinal properties. They are also fed to cattle and poultry. (Adapted from 

 United States Departme^it of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin 307.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 47119. 



51269 to 51279. Phleum pratense L. Poacese. Timothy. 



From Copenhagen, Denmark. Seeds presented by Axel Lange, curator. 

 Botanic Garden. Received September 24, 1920. Quoted notes by Mr. 

 Lange. 



Introduced for experimental work by the Office of Forage-Crop Investigations. 



51269. "Native, from Lystrup Skov." 



51270. "Locally grown, from Dansk Kvarter." 



51271. "Locally grown, from Stranghojgaard." 



51272. " Native, from Lystrup Skov." 



51273. " Locally grown, from Koge." 



51274. " Native, from Mose s. p., for Lystrup Skov." 



51275. " Locally grown, from Biologisk Kvarter." 



51276. " Locally grown, from Undervisiningskvarter." 



51277. " Locally grown, from Farum." 



51278. " Locally grown from Farum Bregnersd." 



51279. " Locally grown, from Amassir." 



51280. SoLANUM HAEMATOcLADmr Dunal. Solanaceae. 



From Nice, France. Seeds presented by Dr. A. Robertson Proschowsky. 

 Received September 20, 1920. 

 " An ornamental shrub with rather beautiful grayish blue flowers and blood- 

 red fruits, growing dense and to a height of about 2 meters ; it is quite hardy 

 here. N5tive to Bolivia." (Proschowaky.) 



51281. Canavali sp. Fabacese. 



From Bahia, Brazil. Seeds presented by Dr. V. A. ArgoUo Ferrao. Re- 

 ceived September 21, 1920. 

 " A wild bean that grows in the coconut plantations along the seacoast. The 

 beans are found where the sands are fertile and receive subterranean irriga- 



