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INVENTORY OF SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED BY 

 THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT IN- 

 TRODUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 

 1 TO JUNE 30, 1917 (NO. 51; NOS. 44446 TO 44934). 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT, 



The period covered by this inventory is that immediately follow- 

 ing the entry of America into the great World War, and it is interest- 

 ing to record the fact that the work of plant introduction carried on 

 by the office was continued without interruption and that during the 

 three months — April, May, and June — 489 new introductions were 

 brought in, carefully inspected, held in the detention greenhouses 

 when necessary, and later sent out to experimenters. 



The foreign exploration work was more seriously affected, although 

 it had already felt the effects of the war. Nevertheless, during this 

 period Mr. Meyer continued his exploring work under difficulties 

 along the Yangtze River between Hankow and Ichang and Mr. Wil- 

 son Popenoe made a study of the seedling avocado varieties of Guate- 

 mala, making excursions on horseback to Antigua, the Los Altos 

 region, Amatitlan, Chimaltenango, Solola, and Totonicapam, where 

 he obtained some of the most promising selections of his collection. 



The avocado varieties listed in this inventory are the Panchoy, an 

 early-ripening variety; the Benik^ a midseason sort; the Tumin, an 

 unusually productive sort with fruit resembling the Trapp in shape ; 

 the Kekchi, a small, very early sort with a long ripening season ; the 

 Mayapan, which Mr. Popenoe believes is one of the best of all; the 

 (Jabnal, a variety with a particularly nutty flavor ; the Gantel^ which 

 has a very small seed ; the Panhay^ which he found at an altitude of 

 8,500 feet, which is more than 1,000 feet above the zone of citrus 

 fruits; and the Tertoh, which produces fruits weighing 4 pounds. 

 This collection of selected avocado seedlings was made with the 

 greatest care. Not only has Mr. Popenoe placed on record in this 

 office a description of the exact locality of each original tree from 

 which he took bud wood, but he made a photograph of the tree itself, 

 wherever it was possible, showing its habit of growth and productive- 

 ness ; a photograph of the fruit, showing its shape and size and the 



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