IXVEISTORY OF SEEDS AND PLAKTS UH'OliTED HY 

 THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT 

 INTRODUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 

 1 TO JUNE 80i 1918 (NO. 55: NOS. 45!n2 TO 4(;:;02). 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. 



It seems appropriate in this inventory in which arc descn-ihed in 

 his own words the last of Mr. Frank N. Mej^er's introductions from 

 China, to give a brief statement regarding his agricultural explora- 

 tions. These inventories have been the chief medium of publicity 

 through which his discoveries have been made known to the horticul- 

 tural world. All the plants which he found and imported he de- 

 scribed, and the descriptions have appeared in the volumes of this 

 serial publication. These descriptions are not long, but in almost 

 every case they characterize very well the plants and point out the 

 particular value which they are likely to have in America. In this 

 respect they are remarkable and deserve the study of agricultural 

 explorers who may come after him. 



Mr. Meyer's first expedition to China covered the period from 

 Jul}'', 1905, to July, 1908, and included explorations in Manchuria, 

 Chosen (Korea), and the Chinese Provinces of Chihli, Shansi, Shan- 

 tung, Honan, Hupeh, and Kiangsi. This period is represented by the 

 introductions which will be found scattered between the numbers 

 16909 and 24596. His second expedition was from August, 1909, to 

 April, 1912, and numbers between 26131 to 34183 give the descrip- 

 tions of his collections in England, Belgium, France, German}'-, Kus- 

 sia. Crimea, Caucasus, Eussian Turkestan, Chinese Turkestan, and 

 Siberia. His third expedition was in Siberia and in the Chinese 

 Provinces of Shantung, Shansi, Shensi, Kansu to the borders of 

 Tibet, Honan, Kiangsu, Anhwei, and Chekiang during the period 

 from November, 1912, to December. 1915. and he describes his in- 

 troductions under numbers to be found between 35253 and 43022. 

 His fourth trip included Japan and the Chinese Provinces of Shan- 

 tung, Kiangsu, Honan, Hupeh, Hunan, and Anhwei during the pe- 

 riod from October, 1916. until his death in June, 1918, and the 



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