1287 
"Concerning curd made from acorns , I have not come 
across it yet; it seems to be rather a country product. 
"Concerning obtaining quantities of Davidia involU' 
erata, it seems that the tree is especially abundant 
south of Patung, but with all the fighting going on 
there no one knows what time a collector could travel 
In that district. 
"Concerning similarity of fruits of Pyrus ealleryana 
and P. betulaefolia, well, that has been some problem. I 
found out that the first, when fully ripe, turns into 
a brown color and the last becomes black. However, 
when natives bring- in several thousands of pounds of 
fruits* and not all entirely ripe then you may realize 
what a jobwe had in trying to separate the two kinds. 
"Growing Chinese yams for flour production in 
America; well, the digging of yams is a very laborious 
process and right here they are really in the nature 
of a luxury. This whole hunting for new food products 
Is really a trying situation. So much experimenting 
Is needed to establish a new crop that often a per- 
son's whole life might have to be devoted to It. 
"I think that soy bean flour might come to the 
front and all sorts of beans should be tried, espec- 
ially in the Southern States. 
"Your very sympathetic remarks are surely appre- 
ciated by me. Times certainly, are sad and mad and 
from a scientific point of view so utterly unneces- 
sary. 
"Well, later on I'll answer more correspondence, 
from you and from others In our Office. 
"With kindest regards to you all, I remain, 
"Very sincerely yours , " 
(Signed) Prank N. Meyer. 
c/o American Legation, Peking, China. 
