1631 
green. They are oval, and rarely over 3 inches long. 
The 'chaugua' is usually boiled with meat, or it forms 
one of the ingredients of a vegetable stew. The plant 
thrives in light soil with plenty of moisture." 
(Fopenoe. ) 
Dr . Shantz ' « Explorations in Africa . 
An example of the exploration and research for 
new plants available for cultivation in this country 
is furnished by the recent 9,000-mile exploring trip 
taken by Dr. H. L. Shantz, agricultural explorer, bot- 
anist of this Office, with the Smithsonian African 
Exploration. The principal purpose of Dr. Shantz's trip 
was to study the native agriculture with an eye for 
new fruits, nut plants, forage crops (especially those 
adapted to our South and West), new sorghums, and es- 
pecially wild sorghum grasses of types similar to Su- 
dan grass, [Holeus sorghum sudanensis) whlchhas proved such 
an important forage crop in the semi-arid districts of 
the western part of the United States that 110,000,000 
worth of it was grown last year. 
The. party, which left New York, July 16, 1919, 
sailed directly to the Cape Verde Islands off the coast 
of Africa, and from there to Cape Town, where they 
arrived August 13. Prom there the journey of nearly 
9,000 miles was made almost entirely through the heart 
of Africa, sometimes 1,000 miles inland, with occa- 
sional expeditions to the coast for observations of 
Zanzibar and other islands, and at Lourenzo Marques 
and Belra. 
The expedition has given to the Department of Ag- 
riculture a rather intimate knowledge of agriculture, 
not only of the whites but of the native tribes, of the 
regions visited. Many of the practices there observed 
will doubtless prove helpful in connection with prac- 
tice in this country. Dr. Shantz also formed the ac- 
quaintance of many agriculturists and men in various 
sections of the Dark Continent who can in the future 
be useful to the Department by sending in plants which 
are desirable and which could not otherwise be secured. 
The direct tangible results consist of seeds or living 
material of more than 1,600 different species or vari- 
eties of plants, many of which had not been previously 
Imported into the United States, and from which it is 
only reasonable to suppose some Important grain, for- 
age, or fruit crops may be developed. 
Ground for such belief is furnished by past records, 
