16 BE! DS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



26116— Continued. 



as J inch in diameter. The acid flesh has a delicate flavor, but there is not enough 

 of it to give the fruita a commercial value. Fruits are occasionally found, however, 

 that are practically without seeds and it might be possible to fix this character by 

 selection. As ii is the Eruil is "ften sold in the oriental markets. 



"I particularly recommend this Crataegus as a stock for pears. It is good for dry 

 localises at any altitude. It is found as low as 200 meters below the level of the 

 Mediterranean in the valley of the Jordan and as high as 1,800 meters above sea level 

 in the deserl near Petra. It ought, therefore, to thrive in southern California as 

 well as on the plateaus of Colorado. 



"My personal experience has shown that a top graft 6 inches or a foot above the 

 ground is the best for this stock. It is best suited for the early varieties of pears. 



■■ I recommend this as a stock, therefore, in high, arid situations where water is 

 scarce or costly. It is an ideal stock for dwarf early pears. At Indio, Cal., for 

 instance, it ought to yield prime fruit with very little irrigation. 



"Palestine (where my father has had trees grafted in this way for 18 years) is not 

 the only region in which Crataegus azarolus has been used as a stock for the pear. 

 Mr. Dumont has used it for the same purpose near Tunis. 



"I speak of pears because I have had personal experience with this fruit. But I 

 can see no reason why it would not do as well as a stock for dwarf early apples." 

 (A. Aaronsohn.) 



Distribution. — A native of southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, 

 being found in Spain, Italy, Crete, Caucasia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Arabia; 

 Persia, and Algeria. 



26117. Medicago sativa L. Alfalfa. 



From Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada. Presented by Mr. Angus Mackay, 

 superintendent, Dominion Experimental Farm for Saskatchewan, through 

 Mr. Charles J. Brand. Received October 18, 1909. 



Grimm. — "Grown at Indian Head from S. P. I. No. 12991; seeded in comparison 

 with eight other strains in the spring of 1905. No. 12991 was produced in Minnesota 

 in 1904 and was secured from Mr. A. B. Lyman, Excelsior, Minn. In the Indian 

 Head experiments it has proven from the first (1905 to 1909) to be the best of the 

 nine strains under test." (Brand.) 



26118 and 26119. 



From Wellington, New Zealand. Presented by Mr. T. W. Kirk, Biologist, 

 Department of Agriculture. Received October 18, 1909. 



Seeds of the following: 



26118. Microlaena stipoides (Labill.) R. Br. New Zealand rice-grass. 



A native grass, much relished by all kinds of stock; the herbage is of a rich 

 green color, and is produced in great abundance. 



Distribution. — A native of New Zealand and Australia, where it is widely 

 distributed and used for a lawn and pasture grass. 



26119. Danthonia semiannularis (Labill.) R. Br. Wallaby grass. 

 A grass which does well on any of the poorer classes of gumbo land, also on 



heavy clay soils. It stands drought with impunity, and throws up a good 

 quantity of feed, which is eaten by all classes of stock. 

 See No. 21024 for previous introduction. 



Distribution. — New Zealand, Tasmania, and the temperate parts of Australia. 

 205 



