42 SEEDS AXD PLANTS IMPORTED. 



44676. Ilex paraguariexsis St. Hil. Aquifoliacese. Yerba mate. 



From Oran, Salta, Argentina. Presented by Mr. S. W. Damon. Received 

 June 30, 1917. 

 " Var. alba de Llamas. For planting these seeds, deep, porous, well-sifted 

 earth should be prepared. The surface of the soil should be perfectly level. 

 Sow in lines fairly well spaced, covering with half an inch of finely powdered 

 earth containing much humus. Keep the planting with not less than 18 per 

 cent or more than 32 per cent moisture. When the first young growth is noted 

 protect it from the direct rays of the sun. Seeds will take from 6 to 12 months 

 to germinate. The young plants need a damp soil and atmosphere and much 

 protection from the direct rays of the sun, as they are very delicate until 2 years 

 old. The plant requires a mean annual temperature of about 72" F. These 

 seeds came from what is considered the best plantation in the world." (Damon.) 



44677 and 44678. 



From Yunnanfu, Yunnan Province, China. Purchased from Mr. Frank 

 Pilson. Received June 25, 1917. 



44677. DocYNiA delavayi (Franch.) C. Schneid. Malacese. 

 "To-i. Wild pear." (Pilson.) 



An ornamental, evergreen, spiny tree, up to 30 feet in height, with 

 glossy, ovate-lanceolate leaves, 2 to 4 inches long, and umbels of white 

 flowers which appear in the spring. The fruit is an ovoid pome about an 

 inch long. The tree is a native of southwestern China and has recently 

 been introduced into the subtropical regions of the United States. The 

 fruits are more or less acid and are used for cooking. They could pos- 

 sibly be improved by selection and hybridization. The tree is propagated 

 by seeds and might possibly be grafted on apple stock. (Adapted from 

 Bailey, Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, vol. 2, p. 1063.) 



44678. QuEBCus sp. Fagacese. Oak. 

 " I sent back to Szemao to get acorns of Quercus rex. Talifu is 14 



days from here by sedan chair and Szemao 20, so that I found it neces- 

 sary to enlist the aid of friends in securing these seeds." (Pilson.) 



Received as Quercus rex, but the material does not agree with that of 

 this species previously received. 



44679 to 44681. Peesea americana Mill. Lauracese. Avocado. 



(P. gratissima Gaertn. f.) 

 From Guatemala. Bud wood collected by Mr. Wilson Popenoe, agricultural 

 explorer. Received April to June, 1917. 



44679. "(Nos. 98, 158, 177. Avocado No. 22.) Kekehi. A remarkable 

 little fruit, valuable not only for its earliness but also for its produc- 

 tiveness and good quality. It commences to ripen in December, at least 

 two months before most of the other avocados in the same region. 

 Though small in size, the seed is proportionately small, leaving a good 

 amount of flesh of excellent quality. It has a very long ripening season, 

 which suggests its use as a variety for the home garden. 



" The parent tree is growing in a sitio belonging to Santiago Men- 

 doza, in the town of Purula, Department of Baja Vera Paz, Guate- 

 mala. The altitude is approximately 5,150 feet. The soil is a heavy 

 clay loam. The tree stands on a slope, in the midst of a small patch of 

 maize (Indian corn). It is about 35 feet in height, with a trunk 2 feet 



