lay dear Doctor Fairchild: 
When Mr. J. F. Bock, your Agricultural Explorer, 
returns to china I should like very much to enlist his 
interest in the collection of certain Chinese vegetables, 
particularly species of Brassica and other plants used 
for salads and greens. These are desired in connection 
with our project on the production of vegetables for 
invalid diets. There are a number of such vegetables 
which we have reason to think have not yet been intro¬ 
duced, and of those which are available to seedsmen there 
may be improved forms still to be sought for. 
There are two general objects we have in mind 
in collecting these low carbohydrate vegetables. One is 
summer hardiness; that is, resistance to heat and drought 
for mid-summer culture in the southern states where there 
is at the present time a dearth of summer vegetables. For 
this purpose tropical and subtropical forms from the dryer 
regions of china should be sought for. The second aim 
is winter hardiness, for which we need plants that will 
stand hard freezing without losing their edible qualities. 
I hope that some of these may be secured by Mr. Bock. 
Very truly yours. 
(Sgd) W. A. Orton. 
Pathologist in Charge, 
Cotton, Turck and Forage 
urop Disease Investigations. 
COPY EAC 
