INVENTORY OF SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED 

 BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT 

 INTRODUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM OC- 

 TOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1913 (NO. 37: NOS. 

 36259 TO 36936). 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. 



This inventory records, among other plant material imported, the 

 collections made by three separate expeditions which were sent out 

 by this office to foreign countries. 



An expedition composed of Mr. P. H. Dorsett, of this office, Mr. 

 A, D. Shamel, physiologist, of the Office of Horticultural and Pomo- 

 logical Investigations, and Mr. Wilson Popenoe, of this office, was, 

 during the time covered by this inventory, exploring in southern 

 Brazil. This expedition left Washington on October 4,1913, and made 

 a careful survey of the navel-orange region around Bahia and also 

 a study of orange growing around Rio de Janeiro. Its object was 

 to find, if possible, the origin of the Bahia navel orange and to dis- 

 cover strains of this remarkable orange which might prove more 

 productive or better in other respects than varieties which have 

 originated in California from the cuttings introduced into North 

 America in 1870. In addition to securing bud wood of promising 

 strains of this orange which have originated in Bahia through bud 

 variation, the expedition secured the stocks (laranja da terra, S. P. I. 

 No. 36636) upon which the navel orange is grown in its own home. 

 Strong evidence was also found that the Bahia navel originated, 

 probably in Bahia itself, as a bud sport from the Selccta orange, 

 which has been grown there since the earliest days of orange cxdture 

 in Brazil. Shipments of the fruit of the Bahia orange were success- 

 fully made, and orange specialists were given an opportunity to 

 compare the Bahia fruit with the best California-grown navels. The 

 former are characterized by their light greenish yellow color and 

 milder acidity. They are sweeter and perhaps juicier, but lack 

 sprightliness. They might meet with favor among those who prefer 

 a sweet orange, but on account of their paler color would not attract 

 favorable attention in our markets. Whether the new and vigorous 

 Bahia strains of the navel orange introduced (such as S. P. I. Nos. 

 36689 and 36691) will fruit in California over a longer period of the 



Note. — This bulletin is a record of new or little-known seeds or plants procured mostly from abn i 

 It is intondod for distribution to agricultural experiment stations and the more important private coop- 

 erators. 



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