6 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



many years hence, when the plants shall have developed and become 

 Avidely grown, this debt ma}^ indeed be a very large one. 



The more promising of the introductions appear to bo the fol- 

 lowing : 



Three selected strains of red clover {Trifolium pratense^ Nos. 

 44105 to 44107), presented by the Danish Royal Agricultural Society, 

 two being quite new, the third already in general use in Denmark. 



Psychotriu hacteriophila (No. 44119), a shrub from the Comoro 

 Islands, Madagascar, producing leaves which harbor nodules of bac- 

 teria that gather nitrogen from the air, quite as do the root nodules 

 of the Leguminosa?. 



An ash {Fraxinus potamopMla^ Nos. 44132 to 44134), from Chi- 

 nese Turkestan, sent through the American ambassador by the 

 British consul general at Kashgar. This ash, first introduced by 

 Frank N. Meyer, has proved perfectly hardy at Fallon, Nev., and 

 ]>romises to be a valuable tree on the poor soil of that region. 



The famous Pai li and other cultivated large-fruited varieties of 

 the blight-resistant pear {Pyt^s ussuriensis, Nos. 44145, 44147, 44148, 

 44160, and 44151) from China, obtained through Mr. Meyer. 



A tall-growing, new species of spruce {Picea meyerl^ No. 44149), 

 found by Mr. Meyer in Shinglungshan, Cliihli Province, China, and 

 named by Rehder and AVilson after our explorer. 



A collection of cultivated varieties of Chinese pears (Nos. 44163 

 to 44174 and 44176), containing some of Pyims ussurieiwls and others 

 of P. lindleyi. These may prove of considerable value in the studies 

 of blight resistance which are now being made by Reimer and others. 



An amaranth {Ainaranthus paniculatus^ No. 44178) from Kash- 

 mir, where its farinaceous seeds form the staple food of the hill 

 tribes in many parts of India; the plant is known as nijgira. 



A species of Calamus (No. 44181), called the litoco. introduced 

 by Mr. AVester. from Kiangan, northern Luzon. This [)lant bears 

 small, scaly fruits, of subacid, refreshing flavor, resembling the lan- 

 /on (Lansium), and Avith excellent keeping qualities. 



Gardnia multiftora (No. 44239), from Kiayingchow, near Swatow, 

 China, a shrub which bears a delicious but small fruit resembling the 

 true mangosteen in flavor. The fact that it has withstood tempera- 

 tures of 27° F. without injury may indicate that it can be grown 

 outside the Tropics, and its relation to the true mangosteen may 

 make it valuable for breeding purposes. 



Seeds of Banibos tulda (No. 44240), from Dehra Dun, India. 

 This species has proved so easy of cultivation in Panama and Porto 

 Rico and its timber is so valuable for fishing-rod manufacture that 

 the securing of a considerable quantity of seed is worthy of mention. 



Cudrania tricuspidnta (No. 44241), from American-grown trees 

 at Augusta, Ga., where the tree seems to be quite at home and bears 



