18 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



43425 to 43440— Continued. 



jam. In Guatemala it is most commonly eaten as a fresh fruit or made 

 into a sweet preserve. While, naturally enough, it can not be claimed that 

 this cherry is equal to any of the excellent cultivated varieties of the 

 North, which have been produced by generations of selection and vege- 

 tative propagation, it must be said in all fairness that it is a fruit of 

 remarkably good quality for one which has never had the benefit of 

 intelligent cultivation and has been propagated only by seed. When put 

 into the hands of intelligent horticulturists in a region suited to its culti- 

 vation and subjected to a few generations of selection it should become 

 • a fruit worthy of taking rank alongside its relatives of northern or- 

 chards." ^ 

 For an illustration of this wild cherry, see Plate I. 



43426. Annona pubptjbea Moc. and Sesse. Annonacese. Soncoya. 



"(No. 28a. Seeds procured at Escuintla, Guatemala, September 22, 

 1916.) 



"The soncoya (here called soncuya, suncuya, or rarely chincuya) is a 

 remarkable species of Annona which appears to be fairly common in the 

 foothills of the western slope of Guatemala. Fruits and trees were seen 

 from Escuintla to Ayutla, on the Mexican frontier, the elevation varying 

 from 200 to 1,200 feet. The soncoya is an immense fruit, often larger 

 than a child's head, and covered with short conical protuberances. It is 

 almost perfectly spherical in form, measures about 6 inches in length, and 

 weighs 3 pounds or more. In color it is a light russet brown, sometimes 

 greenish ; the protuberances are about one-fourth of an inch long, corky, 

 and sharply pointed. The rind also is corky, about one-fourth of an inch 

 thick, rather pliable, granular, and easily broken. The flesh is pale 

 orange, cottony in texture, rather juicy and with an aroma and flavor 

 almost identical with that of the North American papaw {Asimina 

 triloba). The seeds are very numerous, brown, shaped like those of the 

 cherimoya. but much larger, being fully 1 inch long. 



" The tree is grown in dooryards and is said also to occur wild in the 

 forests, but up to the present I have only seen it in cultivation. It grows 

 to about the same size as the cherimoya and is of the same form, but the 

 foliage is much larger and makes the tree a striking object in gardens. 

 The fruit is common in markets and fruit stalls and seems to be gen- 

 erally used by the Indians, though an overindulgence in it is said to super- 

 induce paludismo, or malarial fever. 



" The tree grows on deep loamy, usually moist soils. It probably is 

 suited only to regions with a very warm climate. If it succeeds at all in 

 Florida it will probably be only in the extreme southern end of the State. 



"The soncoya, which is unknown in cultivation outside of Central 

 America, is a fruit of much better quality than most of the wild Annonas. 

 It seems to be especially worthy of attention because of its thick outer 

 rind, which makes it easier to handle than the cherimoya." 



43427. SiCANA oDOEiFERA (VeU.) Naud. Cucurbitacese. Melocoton. 



"(No. 29a. Mazatenango, Guatemala, September 23, 1916.) A peculiar 

 melon called here melocoton (peach). It is not commonly cultivated and 

 is rarely seen in the market. The fruit is cylindrical, a foot in length, 

 about 4 inches in diameter, with a smooth surface shining black in color. 

 On cutting it in halves lengthwise one finds a narrow zone of flesh next 

 the skin and the rest of the space occupied principally by seeds, which 

 resemble considerably those of the watermelon. The flavor is rather 



