42451.

ZEA MAYS L.

Poaceæ.

Corn.

From Salmon Arm, Canada. Presented by Mr. Thomas A. Sharpe. Received April 10, 1916.

"Seed of a very fair flint corn which has ripened here for two years, from seed received from the Agricultural College at St. Anne, Province of Quebec." (Sharpe.)

42452 and 42453.

From Zacuapam, Huatusco, Mexico.
Received April 12, 1916.

Presented by Dr. C. A. Purpus.

Yam-bean.

42452. CACARA EROSA (L.) Kuntze. Fabaceæ.

(Pachyrhizus angulatus Rich.)

"The young root is much like a turnip in shape and consistency and is easily peeled like a turnip. It is usually eaten raw and may be prepared with oil and vinegar in the form of a salad. According to Dr. Edward Palmer it is extensively cultivated in Mexico, where the natives pinch off the blossoms and seed pods, giving as a reason that if the seeds are allowed to mature the roots are not good. In Mexico the roots are much eaten raw, but are also pickled, boiled in soup, and cooked as a vegetable. As they come from the ground they are crisp, sweet, juicy, and of a nutty flavor. They are nourishing and at the same time quench the thirst, so that they are much liked by travelers. One way of preparing the raw roots is to cut them in thin slices and sprinkle sugar over them. They may also be boiled and prepared with batter in the form of fritters, and in Mexico they are often minced or grated and, with the addition of sugar, milk, eggs, and a few fig leaves for flavoring, made into puddings." (W. E. Safford.)

For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 22971.

42453. GosSYPIUM sp. Malvaceæ.

66

Cotton.

Raised from seed from Oaxaca, dry country without irrigation." (Purpus.)

42454. CICER ARIETINUM L. Fabaceæ.

Chick-pea.

From Malaga, Spain. Presented by Mr. Thomas R. Geary, American vice consul. Received April 5, 1916.

"Seeds of the most productive variety in this district." (Geary.) "Hamus, gram, garbanzo. An annual plant growing from 12 to 18 inches in height, cultivated extensively in India, southern Europe, and Mexico. The seeds, two to three, which resemble somewhat the pea, are borne in short pods. They are used as an article of food, parched or toasted, and also ground into a meal that in many respects resembles corn meal. This plant is especially well adapted for cultivation in our semiarid States.” (Peter Bisset.)

“In Jerusalem chick-peas are eaten prepared in the following way: The dry chick-pea is put in an earthen jar with water; the cover is then cemented on with dough or cement, and the whole jar placed in the furnace of a Turkish bath and covered with ashes. It is usually kept in the furnace from 4 o'clock in the afternoon until the next morning. This method of cooking the chickpea is better than boiling. When the peas are done they are manipulated with the fingers until all the outside skin comes off; they are then put in a bowl

(ARRACACIA

THE ARRACACHA, A FAVORITE VEGETABLE OF THE VENEZUELANS, WHICH APPEARS TO BE ADAPTED TO THE WARMER PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. XANTHORRHIZA BANCR., S. P. I. No. 42455.)

The whole root is tender and edible. It is generally boiled and mashed like the potato or used in soups like parsnips, to which it is closely allied, but is more delicate in flavor than either. The clump shown is two seasons old, but clumps of a similar size are produced in a single season. The plant has flowered in Florida this season for the first time. (Photographed by David Fairchild at the Plant Introduction Field Station, Brooksville, Fla., Nov. 25, 1918; P24598 FS.)

(MARANTA

A single clump of arrowroot. The rootstocks are said to contain from 15 to 25 per cent of a starch that is considered to be very easily digested and is generally recommended for invalids who find difficulty in digesting other starches. The yield is estimated at from 1,600 to 2,000 pounds of starch to the acre. A considerable arrowroot industry exists in Bermuda and St. Vincent. The exports from the latter island amounted to over $100,000 in 1916. The possibilities of its culture in parts of Florida are being investigated. They are largely questions of yield and labor. (Pho tographed by David Fairchild at the Plant Introduction Field Station, Brooksville, Fla., Nov. 20, 1918; P24644FS.)

and mashed until they become quite creamy, adding, if necessary, a small quantity of the water in which they are cooked. This creamy substance is then usually flavored with a little garlic and salt; and melted butter, into which pine seeds are thrown and browned, is added. This is eaten as a breakfast food with fresh bread, the bread being dipped in the 'cream.' The 'cream' is also eaten with green and red peppers and radishes. The native name for this 'cream' is hummus-imdamas. In Jaffa horse beans are prepared in the same way. Olive oil, which is cheaper than butter, is used to some extent instead of butter in Egypt and also in Jaffa." (Whiting.)

42455. ARRACACIA XANTHORRHIZA Bancroft. Apiaceæ.

From La Guaira, Venezuela.

Arracacha.

Roots presented by Mr. Homer Brett, Ameri

can consul. Received April 12, 1916. An umbelliferous plant, native of the South American Andes, growing only at heights of 4,000 feet and upward. The plant is a biennial and develops a large yellowish root the size of the common beet, or perhaps larger. The growing plants resemble celery, and the Spanish name apio, meaning celery, is often applied to it for this reason. The large fleshy root is developed in the first year and, being edible, is used before the tall flower stem appears. This root is eaten boiled, like parsnips, or sliced raw and fried, like potatoes, being very palatable either way. A good alcohol may be made from the juice of the root. For propagation, cuttings are made with a couple of inches of the fleshy root attached, the fleshy end being placed about 2 inches deep in the top of the hill. The plant requires rain or irrigation at least every month, and as it grows the earth is hilled up, care being exercised not to heap the earth against the trunk of the plant. (Adapted from Handbook of Venezuela, Bureau of American Republics, 1904.)

For an illustration of the arracacha plant, see Plate I.

42456 to 42458. CICER ARIETINUM L. Fabaceæ.

Chick-pea.

From Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Presented by Mr. Paul H. Foster, American consul. Received April 5, 1916. Descriptive notes by Mr. Foster.

42456. "Garbanzo de Castilla. This is the largest and finest sort produced in Spain, but the yield is not so heavy as of the other varieties." 42457. "Garbanzo del Pais. Smaller in size and not so tender as that of Castilla [S. P. I. No. 42456], but locally it produces fair quantities under semiarid conditions."

42458. "Garbanzo Negro, or black chick-pea. Produces well under semiarid conditions. Used locally for stock feed, as a rule; but the poorer classes of peasants in the country use it for food when other sorts are scarce and high priced. Said to be very nourishing and fattening when used for stock feeding. This sample was kindly furnished me by Mr. Walter J. Buck, H. B. M. vice consul."

42459 to 42462. CICER ARIETINUM L.

Fabaceæ.

Chick-pea.

From Madrid, Spain. Presented by Mr. Robertson Honey, American consul. Received April 5, 1916.

See S. P. I. No. 42454 for previous introduction and description.

42459. Variety A.

42460. Variety B.

140475°-20- -2

42461. Variety C.

42462.

(Mixed when received.)

1.

42463.

MARANTA ARUNDINACEA L. Marantaceæ.

Arrowroot.

From Kingston, Jamaica. Tubers presented by Mr. W. Harris, superintendent, Hope Gardens. Received April 15, 1916.

"The true arrowroot is a native of tropical America. The arrowroot is a perennial herb with large lanceolate leaves and white rootstocks or rhizomes 1 to 2 feet in length and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The plant is propagated by divisions of the rhizomes in rows 3 feet apart and 1 foot apart in the row. The tubers may be harvested about 8 to 12 months from the time of planting. A good yield of arrowroot is 5 tons of tubers per acre. The tubers contain 25 per cent starch. The yield of prepared arrowroot per acre is about 1,500 pounds. Arrowroot starch may be obtained by grating, washing, and straining the tubers by the method used with cassava. Like cassava, also, the plant seems to exhaust the soil quickly, thus making necessary a system of rotation. The best quality of arrowroot comes from Bermuda, but the largest supply is received from St. Vincent, Barbados, and Ceylon. Arrowroot starch is considered to be very easily digested and is generally recommended for invalids who have found difficulty in digesting the starch from potatoes and other plants." (Wilcox, Tropical Agriculture, p. 151.)

For an illustration of the Bermuda arrowroot plant, see Plate II. 42464 to 42469.

From Brisbane, Australia.

dens.

Presented by Mr. J. F. Bailey, Botanic Gar

Received April 4, 1916.

42464. CAREYA AUSTRALIS (Benth.) F. Muell. Lecythidaceæ.

A large tree with alternate undotted leaves, large red flowers, and globular, fleshy, edible fruit with a hard rind. The bark is made into twine, and the wood, which is of a light-gray color, red in the center, close in grain, and tough, is easily worked. (Adapted from Bailey, Queensland Flora, p. 667.)

42465. EREMOCITRUS GLAUCA (Lindl.) Swingle. Rutaceæ.

(Atalantia glauca Benth.)

Australian desert kumquat.

An edible-fruited shrub or small tree, occurring in Queensland, and New South Wales in subtropical regions subject to severe cold and extreme drought. Small, emarginated leaves, subglobose, flattened, or slightly pyriform fruits; small seeds. An 'ade is made from the juice, and the fruits are good for making jam or pickles. It is the hardiest evergreen citrus fruit known and the only one showing pronounced drought-resistant adaptations. (For fuller description, see Bailey, Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, vol. 2, p. 1127.) 42466. ERYTHRINA VESPERTILIO Benth. Fabaceæ.

Coral tree.

A soft-wooded tree found in Queensland and in North, South, and Western Australia, growing to a height of 30 to 40 feet, with a diameter of 1 to 2 feet. The wood is used by the aborigines for making their 'hielamans," or shields, being exceedingly light and spongy. Might possibly be used for making floats for fishing nets. Called hielaman tree or batswing coral. (Adapted from Maiden, Useful Plants of Australia, p. 426.)

42467. EUCALYPTUS MINIATA A. Cunn. Myrtaceæ.

A moderate-sized or large tree, the bark fibrous and persistent, but readily separable in flakes, the young shoots sometimes glaucous or mealy white. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate, mostly