INVENTORY OF SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED BY 

 THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT INTRO- 

 DUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1 TO 

 OCTOBER 31, 1919 (NO. CO; NOS. -17865 TO 48426). 



INTKODTJCTORY STATEMENT. 



There are many experimenters who appear not to understand the 

 problem of plant introduction and who, after applying for interest- 

 ing plants which they see described and finding none left for dis- 

 tribution, since others Avho applied previously had received them, 

 become discouraged. It should- be pointed out that obtaining plants 

 from out-of-the-way parts of the world is a very different thing from 

 the purchase of plants from a nursery. We may through a traveler, 

 a transient correspondent, or one of our own explorers get a small 

 quantity of seed of a rare tree, for example. We often can not get 

 more seed of this species, even by going to very great expense, as it 

 may be found in some out-of-the-way place and may fruit very infre- 

 quently. If it can be grown only from seed and the trees do not 

 bear until they are 8 or 10 years old, we simply can not supply more 

 than the number of plants grown from the original introduced seeds 

 until, years later, either the seedlings fruit in this country or a rare 

 opportunity occurs whereby we may obtain it again from its foreign 

 source. The most constructively helpful experimenters are those who 

 appreciate these conditions and who, when they can not get what 

 they want, are glad to test other introductions which we can send 

 them. 



This sixtieth inventory has a number of noteworthy new introduc- 

 tions. 



Mr. Maiden, of Sydney, sends in a " native cherry " tree {Exocar- 

 pus cupressi form-is, No. 47866) which produces fruit morphologically 

 similar to the cashew nut and the raisin tree, the pedicel below the 

 seed instead of the parts surrounding it being enlarged. 



Dr. da Costa sends from Para the pupunha palm {Guilielma ape- 

 ciosa, No. 47868) which apparently resembles the pejibaye of 

 Costa Eica, producing a fruit which is boiled and eaten like potatoes. 

 These species of Guilielma deserve especial study by tropical horti- 

 culturists. 



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