539 
Superintendent of Public Gardens. "The root is formed of a 
number of simple cord-like fibres, several feet in length, 
stretching under the surface of the ground, bearing in their 
course a succession of tubers. The beans are poisonous, but 
the root affords a very plentiful supply of very wholesome 
food. The produce of three plants is usually sufficient to 
fill a bushel basket. The tubers may either be boiled plain, 
in which state they are a very good substitute for yams and 
other roots in common use; or they may be submitted to a 
process similar to arrowroot, and a starch obtained. This 
starch is pure white, and is equal in every respect to 
arrowroot. To the taste it is very palatable, is easily di- 
gested, and is employed for custards and puddings. Even the 
trash left after obtaining the starch, and which in the prep- 
aration of arrowroot is lost, may, when thoroughly dried, be 
formed into a palatable and wholesome flour. A very excellent 
flour may also be obtained by slicing the tubers, drying them 
in the sun, and then reducing to a powder. This plant 1s 
deserving of being more generally cultivated than it has 
hitherto been. It ought in a great measure bo supersede the 
arrowroot in cultivation. It can be planted at any season of 
the year, and the roots are fit for digging in the course of 
four or five months; the return is infinitely greater than 
that from arrowroot, and the proportion of starch also is more 
abundant, so that it can be brought to market at so cheap a 
rate, as to admit of being employed by the calico-printers in 
place of potato-starch. Dr. Trimen, pointed out that the pods 
when young are not poisonous, but may be eaten like French 
beans, being superior in the absence of any fibrous string 
along the sutures of the pod. The large size is also an ad- 
vantage, as they are often 10 to 12 inches long. In Jamaica 
the seeds are generally sown in March or April, but they can 
be sown at any time. At Hope Gardens seeds were sown in 
September. The pods are ready for use as French beans 7 months 
after sowing and when pods are quite ripe, 9 months after 
sowing, the yams are fit to dig. From one seed sown at Hope 
Gardens 5 yams were dug weighing altogether 14 pounds. They 
generally vary in size from one foot to eighteen inches long, 
and 4 to 6 inches in diameter." (Harris, BuLl. Bot. Dept. 
Jamaica, 44:4(1893). For distribution later. 
CORYLUS AVELLANA. (Fagaceae.) 33234. Plants of hazel nut 
from Granada, Spain. Procured from Mr. Pedro Giraud, through 
Mr. Walter T. Swingle, of this Department. "Rouge ronde. 
Spain furnishes the bulk of the hazel nuts that enter into the 
world's commerce, whole regions being given up to this re- 
munerative culture in the north of Spain. It is said to pre- 
fer rather light, cool soils and to grow well with more or 
