JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1918. 3 



Chinese largely as a " room perfumer," and he remarks in regard 

 to their use of it that " thej' carry them about to take an occasional 

 smell of them, especially when passing malodorous places." But 

 by the Europeans in Ichang the fruits of this lemon are preferred 

 to the ordinary lemon for making lemonades. Since trees of it in 

 the Changyang region have withstood temperatures of 19° F., it 

 may have special value because of its hardiness. Mr. IMeyer's intro- 

 duction (No. 45931) is a large variety of this remarkable fruit. 



The yang-tao (Actinidia chinensis) has so far established itself 

 in this country that there are hundreds of plants of it scattered in 

 private places from the southern Atlantic coast to Puget Sound. 

 It has fruited sparingly, but its fruits have decided promise, being 

 of excellent flavor and having good shipp'ing qualities. The intro- 

 duction by Meyer of a smooth-skinned variety (No. 45946) from the 

 Hupeh Province, which he says " combines the flavors of tlie goose- 

 berry, strawberry, pineapple, guava, and rhubarb," is not without 

 especial interest at this time. 



In the koume of Zanzibar {TelfaiHa pedata^ No. 45923) we may 

 have a valuable addition to the list of tropical table nuts, providing 

 it is a heavy bearer. Through the late Mr. Buysman, who con- 

 ducted a private plant-introduction garden for many years at 

 Lawang, Java, the first seeds of this curious cucurbit were received. 

 It is a rank-growing tropical liana, covering the trees at the edge 

 of the forests of East Africa. It produces fruits 3 feet long and 8 

 inches in diameter, bearing over 250 large, flat, oily seeds the size 

 of an almond and of good flavor. Reports on this species have also 

 been sent in by Dr. H. L. Shantz, who saw it during his exploration 

 of East Africa and formed a favorable impression of its qualities. 



Little has been done in the way of providing the Tropics with a 

 good table grape, although there are species of Vitis which it would 

 seem might easily be developed for this purpose. In Vitis sp. (No. 

 45796), a wild species from the brushwood of the low country of 

 Zacuapam, Mexico, which tastes like a Catawba, and in another small- 

 fruited form {Vitis tiliaefolia, No. 45797), both sent in by Dr. C. A. 

 Purpus, we may have species which the plant breeder can use to 

 advantage. 



From our collaborator. Dr. L. Trabut, whose remarkable work 

 has won for him the Frank N. Meyer memorial medal for distinctive 

 services in tHe field of plant introduction, we have received an inter- 

 esting species of wild rice from West Africa. Unlike the true rice, 

 it sends out rootstocks, and from its character of holding its foliage 

 for several months it converts swampy lands into excellent pastures. 

 It rises to 1^ meters in height and, like our own wild rices, scatters 

 its seeds, making the collection of grain difficult. Chevalier has 



