788 
is clothed with loose,, cracked papyraceous bark and the 
branches are straight, rigid, singularly angled and winged 
with vertical alae, which are sinuate and downy or fringed 
at the edge." (Curtis' s Botanical Magazine, no. 4837.) 
Gleditsia sinensis. (Caesalpiniaceae.) 38800-8.02. Seeds 
of three varieties of Chinese soap-bean. "These Chinese 
Gleditsias often grow to. a very large size, becoming quite 
old and at times making beautiful, well rounded heads of 
dense branches and foliage. The conspicuous pods persist 
on the trees all through the winter. They are marvelously 
drought resistant and do not object to a certain amount of 
alkali. Recommended as an ornamental park and shade tree 
for the mild-wintered, semi-arid sections of the United 
States. The Chinese find use for the pods, when sliced 
, up, as ,a substitute for soap for washing their hair and 
certain fabrics . Chinese name 'Tsao chio. ' The young 
trees often have their trunks covered with big spines 
which often have totally disappeared when the trees are 
old." (Meyer's introductions.) 
Hordeum sp. (Poaceae.) 38885. Seed of barley from 
Esperanza, Sonora, Mexico. Presented bv Mr. W. W. Mackie, 
Director Yaqui Valley Experiment Station. "White Turkestan 
barley gathered in Merv, Transcaspia, in 1911. These 
seeds came from selections out of three years of crops 
during which time I have had them under observation. The 
Wahl-Henius Institute of Fermentology , to which a quantity 
of the seed was sent report as follows: 'The barley it- 
self is of the 6-rowed nutans type and has a marked flesh- 
colored aleurone layer, such as is characteristic of bar- 
leys of Asiatic origin, in fact, the flesh colored appear- 
ance is more pronounced than we have ever noticed in any 
similar barley before. This barley really is strange to 
us. It Is irregular in size and form, and has a very low 
albumen content' (due no doubt to the skinning off of the 
germ or embryo by too close threshing). 'The taste and 
flavor are remarkably agreeable. If any of this barley is 
malted, we should be pleased to receive a five-pound sample 
of the malt. If this barley could possibly be grown on a 
rich nitrogenous soil, so that the albumen content could 
be' increased to about 13$, it, in our opinion, would be by 
far the best barley for malting purposes among the ten 
samples you sent.' Our field tests show this barley to be 
very vigorous and hardy with splendid germination. In 
height it is about 20 to 30$ shorter than the common Cali- 
fornia 6-rowed barley but produces thicker and longer 
heads. It is nearly three weeks earlier in maturing, in 
other words it is a quick growing variety. On account of 
its propensity to rust I would advise that it be planted 
inland away from the influence of the sea coast and fogs. 
