1148 
planted yam from the sun, and soil is thrown on to 
prevent the wind blowing the grass away. The vines 
are supported by stout sticks or of ten by broken corn- 
stalks. Yams require about 6 months to mature, those 
planted in January being ready for digging in July. 
Yams may be left in the ground for a week or two after 
the vines have died down. (Adapted from note by Green.) 
Drimys granatensis Mutis. (Magnoliaceae . ) 44701. 
Seeds from Bogota, Colombia. Presented by Mr. M. T. 
Dawe, Director, Estaclon Agronomica, San Lorenzo, To- 
lima, Colombia. A white-flowered evergreen shrub, 5 
to 12 feet in height; with few branches, and oval- 
oblong leathery leaves with rounded ends. The few- 
flowered umbels appear near the ends of the branches , 
and the obovate fruit is berry-like, £ inch long, with 
succulent flesh enclosing the numerous seeds. From 
the crushed leaves a tonic is prepared, the bark is 
the basis of an aromatic tonic, and the dried fruits 
are used as a spice. (Adapted from M. A. de Saint- 
Hilaire, Plantes Usuelles des Brasiliens, plates 26- 
28, 1824.) 
Docynia delavayi (Franch. ) Schneider. (Malaceae.) 
44677. Seeds from Yunnanfu, Yunnan, China. Purchased 
from Mr. Frank Pilson. An ornamental evergreen, spiny 
tree, up to 30 feet in height; with glossy, ovate- 
lanceolate leaves, 2 to 4 inches long; and umbels of 
White flowers which appear in the spring. The fruit 
is an ovoid pome about an inch long. The tree is a 
native of southwestern China, and has recently been 
introduced into the United States. The fruits are 
more or less acid and are used for cooking. They could 
possibly be improved by selection and hybridization. 
The tree is propagated by seeds, and might possibly 
be grafted on apple stock. (Adapted from Bailey, 
Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, vol, 2, p. 1063.) 
Eeoeharis tuberosa (Roxb.) Schultes. (Cyperaceae. ) 
44573. Tubers from Yokohama, Japan. Purchased from 
the Yokohama Nursery Company. They are mostly eaten 
raw, but are also sliced and shredded in soups, and 
in meat and fish dishes. Foreigners in China grate 
them and serve them as a winter vegetable, in which 
state they resemble sweet corn very much in looks and 
taste. The plants need a hot summer to mature and are 
grown on a muck or clayey soil with several inches of 
standing water on top, very much in the same manner 
