UNDETERMINED. ( Cucurbitaceae . ) 31365. Seeds from 
Liberia. Procured from Mr. Henry Stewart, through Mr. G. N. 
Collins. "The seeds of this plant, when parched and ground, 
produce a delicious condiment. Kiffy seed is an important 
ingredient in the popular Liberian dish, ' dumboy' . The flavor 
of the parched seed is similar to that of Sesamum indicum 
which is used in the same way "by the natives of Liberia. 
The gourd-like fruits, about the size and shape of a goose 
egg, are produced on vines like the ordinary gourd. The 
method of securing the seeds practiced by the Liberians is to 
macerate the fruits in water and ?/ash them free from the 
pulp. The season required for maturing the fruit is probably 
too long to permit the plant being grown anywhere in this 
country except in the extreme south." (Collins.) For 
distribution later. 
NOTES PROM FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS. 
BRAZIL. Theophiio Ottoni. Mr. Fred Birch writes May 24, 
that they have there a little "woody nightshade", (Solanum 
sp.) whose berries serve in place of currants, or blue- 
berries. It has a delightful flavor like a sweet ethereal 
liquorice. It grows to the size of three eighths inch in 
diameter, but he fears it, may become a weed here as in 
Brazil. Of the native Lycopersicons which we requested, he 
has not found any with good tasting fruits, except a hard 
shelled form he has sent us already. All the others are most 
abominably acrid, and are usually troublesome weeds. 
CANARY ISLANDS. Puerto Orotava. Mr. George V. Perez 
writes June 1, that if we wish to make experiments on a large 
scale with Statice arborea, he will be glad to put at our 
disposal all the seeds he gathers this year. He will send us 
seeds of Juniperus cedrus, Echiuai pininana and E. auberia- 
num when he is able to get them. 
COSTA RICA. San Jose. Mr. C. Werckle" writes June 18, 
"I do not know the hard-shelled Anona from Guatemala, nor the 
' ilama' from Acapulco. It is strange that there are so many 
fine fruits in tropical America which one can scarcely find; 
the soncoya(a very large fruit )has orange-colored flesh and 
is to my taste better than the chirimoya, as it has suffi- 
cient acid and such an aroma that one can smell the ripe 
fruit, fallen down in the forest, when one passes near the 
tree. It is deciduous, with large leaves a little rough. 
The strongest grower I know of the genus. There are no seeds 
to be had now. Also the ' carrocaliente 1 (that interesting 
Coccoloba with small leaves and fine fruit) and the 'fruta de 
pava* , that black, v.i.olet-brown-f leshed myrtaceous fruit with 
a single long seed. All three plants are from the Pacific 
Coast. Of the zapote we have very fine large varieties here 
