950 
Tamarix dioica Roxburgh. (Tamaricaceae . ) 41624. Seeds 
of a tamarisk from Saharanpur, India. Presented by Mr. A. 
C. Hartless, Superintendent, Government Botanic Gardens. 
"A small tree. Branches with drooping extremities; ulti- 
mate branchlets elongate, patent-f astlgiate . India and 
Burma." (Hooker, Flora of British India, Vol. 1, p. 249.) 
Theobroma cacao L. ( Sterculiaceae . ) 41666-41670. Seeds 
of cacaos from Brazil. Presented by Col. Manoel Couros 
through Mr. H. M. Curran. Nos. 41666-41667. "Var. Para. 
These seeds are from the largest and most perfect fruits 
found in a young vigorous plantation on new soil, mount- 
ains of Rio Contas. They represent the best type of cacao 
grown in this region. Rio Contas basin is one of the big 
cacao regions and produces fine quality cacao beans." No. 
41668. "Egg shell variety. A small form of fruit with 
thinner shell and few seeds. Occurs in all plantations 
but not selected for planting as the yield is less. Prom 
a young vigorous plantation on new soil, mountains of Rio 
Contas." Nos. 41669-41670. "Var. Para. Cacao called Mar- 
anhao. Probably the same as S.P.I. Nos. 41666 & 41667, 
though preferred by certain planters. Large perfect fruits 
selected by Col. Manoel Couros from trees on his plantation 
were the source of these seeds." (Curran.) 
Wasabia pungens Matsumura. (Brasslcaceae . ) 41567. 
Roots from New York City. Presented by Mr. H. Terao. "Be- 
fore cooking the graded wasabi is usually beaten on a 
dresser with the back of a knife so that the root-cells 
may be mostly broken up, as you have perhaps learned in 
Japan. It is said that there is no wasabi for sale in New 
York City yet. Two Japanese restaurants here 1 get 50 roots 
a "year from San Francisco, where the wasabi comes from 
apan. " (Terao . ) 
NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD. 
Mr. F. J. Wiens China M. B, Mission, writes from 
Shonghong via Swatow, March 7, 1916: 
"I recall my promise from last summer to send to you 
some of the native water chestnuts which seem to be quite 
an article of export here. 
"I now take pleasure in sending under separate cover 
some samples and trust that it will not be so cold any more 
in the states through which they have to go that they will 
freeze. The natives plant them here in June, (but it will 
have to be earlier where it is not so warm. This is more 
a fruit for warm climate) and then they are not put right 
into the ground but they take sand and plant them in wet 
sand so that the point sticks out of the sand and then they 
