^OL. V. No. 112. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



2.51 



INTRODUCTION OF TROPICAL PLANTS 



INTO THE UNITED STATES. 



In the Annual Report of the Bureau of Plant 

 Indu-stry of the U. S. Department of* Agriculture, the 

 following account is given of the experimental work 

 done in the subtropical laboratory, under Professor 

 P. H. Rolfs, in connexion with thtJ introduction of 

 tropical plants : — 



Indian mangos.- -A large number of varieties of Indian 

 mangos are growing in the laboratory grounds. These are 

 being pushed in growth as rapidly as prafcticable. In 1901 

 a small inarched tree of the General Gordon mango was 

 received, buds from which were placed into large .stock, which 

 matured a crop of fruit in 1904. This reduced the time for 

 .securing test fruits to less than half that ordinarily required. 



Manila hemp. — Manila hemp {Musa textilis), which has 

 been growing in the laboratory grounds iot nearly two years, 

 has proved itself to be very vigorous, and-it is probable that 

 the variety on hand is hardy enough to produce an excellent 

 fibre throughout the subtropical regions where bananas are 

 cultivated. 



Cassava. — The thirty-one varieties of cassava, which were 

 introduced by the Office of Seed and Plant Introduction and 

 Distribution, have been grown, and rigid selections have been 

 made from them. The inferior varieties are being discarded, 

 and the twelve best are continued. Some of these are 

 exceedingly vigorous and produce an enormous crop of starch. 

 Other investigations are being conducted on this crop, which, 

 when completed, will make it possilile for every grower to 

 preserve his product throughout the year. 



Anomis. — Mr. P. J. Wester, gardener of the Subtropical 

 Laboratory, has succeeded in working out the necessary 

 requirements for budding the sugar apple {Ationa S'luamosa) 

 and cherimoya (Anoiia Cherimoiia) on the native pond apple 

 .{Anona glabra). The pond apple grows vigorously through- 

 out regions where frosts are of frequent occurrence, while the 

 ■other two species are too tender. This stock should impart 

 a greater hardiness to the scion, making it possible to grow 

 these delicious tropical fruits in regions farther north than 

 the present limits. The pond apple, being a much more 

 vigorous grower than these other anonas, will add vigour to 

 the buds. 



Vanilla beans. — During the past year the laboratory 

 has been conducting experiments on the growing and 

 maturing of vanilla beans, from which the true vanilla 

 -extract is produced. A sufficient crop was matured to enable 

 us to carry the product through the fermentation process and 

 produce the article in a commercial condition. This proved 

 to be of superior quality. 



Avocados. — The budding metliods of the avocado have 

 made it possible to make selections from the best of those grow- 

 ing in subtropical regions. Four of these have been budded and 

 ^listributed to various correspondents, together with instruc- 

 tions as to methods of propagation, so that they may be 

 readily propagated and distributed in a commercial way by 

 the cultivators of this .salad fruit. From our distribution it 

 will be possible to have ripe avocados continuously from the 

 earlier part of July to the first of January. Under the 

 former method of growing these from (seedlings, it was 

 impossible to know beforehand what the quality of the 

 avocado fruit would be, or the date of ripening. 



Citrus hybrids. — The citrus hybrids, which are being 

 grown for the Laboratory of Plant Breeding, have received 

 considerable attention during the year. All which are 

 sufficiently vigorous to permit buds to be taken have been 

 budded into rough lemon stock. A large number of. the 



seedling hybrids have come into liearing. As soon as the 

 fruits of those have been tested/ the trees can be either 

 discarded, or their propagation extended. 



Pine-apple hybrids. — The pijie-apple hybrids, which 

 include 312 distinct crosses, are nawin their third generation. 

 Rigid selection and culling are going on. Some of the 

 numbers are of very superior quality for eating. These are 

 now sufficiently old to make it passible to .judge of their 

 stability and vigour of growth in the field, and their probable 

 shipping qualities. Selections will now be made with two 

 objects in view ; (1) shipping to northern markets as a table 

 fruit, and (2) canning. 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



Physic Nut. 



The Pharmaceutical Journal; of June 30, has 

 a note on ' Some Brazilian Drugs.' The following 

 reference is made to the oil of physic nut {JatropUa 

 Curcas). This plant, which belongs to the natural 

 order JEitphorhiaceue, is very common in the West 

 Indies, whei-e the medicinal value of its seeds are well 

 known : — 



This plant is widely distributed and cultivated in the 

 hot and temperate parts of Brazil. The kernels of the ripe 

 .seeds yield by cold pressure 22 .per cent, of colourless, 

 odourless fixed oil, the taste of which resembles that of castor 

 oil ; by hot pressure 40 ])er cent, may be obtained, and by 

 petroleum .spirit 44 per cent., but in tbe latter case the oil 

 has an acrid taste, due to a little resin which is simultaneously 

 extracted. The seeds, free from their cotyledons, or slightly 

 roasted to remove the poisonous principle, curcin, are employed 

 in doses of two to five seeds as a purgative. The oil has no 

 vesicating properties like croton oil. 



The Mangosteen. 



Short notes on this delicious fruit (Garcinia 

 .ilf«7i(/ostoua) have appeared in the Agricidtwral JVeivs 

 (Vols. II, p. 36, and IV, p. 1G4). Its cultivation is dealt 

 with in a recent issue of the Madras Mail, and this 

 information may be summarized as follows: — • 



The seeds, which germinate ordinarily in about a fort- 

 night, should be sown 1 foot apart in nursery beds. 

 Throughout one year, while the ' seedlings remain in the 

 nursery, the beds should be watfered daily. Well-grown 

 seedlings would be at least 1 foot in height at the close 

 of the year. They should then be planted out in well- 

 prepared holes at distances of 20 feet. For one year after being 

 planted out, the young plants should be provided with light 

 shade. The plants should be copiously watered for at least 

 two years. 



The mangosteen plant has b«^n known to bear fruit in 

 the fifth year from planting out. , At this age it has usually 

 attained a height of 10 feet and a basal girth of 1 foot. The 

 number, size, shape, and flavour of the fruit are improved 

 with advancing years. A healthy plant in its tenth year is 

 capable of yielding from 200 to -SiJO mangosteens. 



The species is well adapted for cultivation in all localities 

 with heavj' rainfall, a loamy soil, and enjoying freedom from 

 frost. The soil should be moist and well drained. 



Specimens of Garcinia Mangostana are to be seen 

 in most of the West Indian Botanic Stations. 



