150 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



admit of their cultivation. Both in the Louisiana and the Cali- 

 fornia plantings of the timber bamboo there appeared this year an 

 outbreak of the bamboo smut (Ustilago shiraiana), and because of 

 the damage which this disease is reported to cause to the bamboos 

 of Japan, the affected clumps were sprayed with gasoline and 

 burned to the ground and propagation at these points stopped. 

 These two points of infection in America are believed to be the only 

 ones in this country at the present time. 



Since the bureau first sent out inarched plants of the Chinese 

 litchi (Litchi chinensis) in 1909 the question of the hardiness of 

 this species of tree producing delicious fruits has been under ob- 

 servation. It appears from the behavior of a single seedling about 

 14 years old in California and of inarched trees in Florida which 

 are now 7 years old and have this season borne their first few fruits 

 that there are areas in Florida and California where this fruit tree 

 may be expected to live and bear if the young plants can be pro- 

 tected, or at least escape severe frosts until they become thoroughly 

 established. The quality of the fruits produced in this country is 

 excellent, and their appearance and shipping quality are certain to 

 insure their easy sale on the fresh-fruit market. The dried litchi 

 "nut," of which there are imported into this country over $300,000 

 worth every year, is in no way to be compared to the fresh fruit in 

 quality, although it resembles it in appearance. 



The acquisition through the gift of the municipality of Tokyo of 

 bud wood from the famous Arakawa collection of flowering cherry 

 trees and their propagation on introduced Japanese cherry stocks 

 has put the department in a position to give a wide trial in the near 

 future to the hardiness of these superbly beautiful trees as door- 

 yard and park trees. 



The behavior of the Guatemalan varieties of avocado in California 

 and the fruiting of two of the early introductions of this fruit from 

 Guatemalan species which were secured two years ago have made the 

 prospects of the cultivation of this important fruit plant in Florida 

 seem sufficient to warrant the distribution of grafted plants of the 

 winter-fruiting Guatemalan forms to experimenters engaged in this 

 new fruit industry. 



The Chinese downy chestnut trees (Castanea mollissima) which 

 were distributed in 1907 have not succumbed to the bark disease and 

 some of them have borne a few fruits. It is clear that they have a 

 high degrae of resistance to disease, and although they can not be 

 expected to take the place of the much larger species of chestnut 

 native to America in so far as timber production is concerned, they 

 can at least be relied upon to furnish good nuts for the trade. 



CROP UTILIZATION. 



Flax tow for paper making. — Commercial tests, conducted in co- 

 operation with a fiber-board manufacturer in 1914, demonstrated that 

 domestic flax tow could be substituted for imported flax waste in the 

 production of counter and toe board used in shoe manufacture. Both 

 the process of manufacture and the product were satisfactory, but 

 it was found that the price of domestic flax tow made its use com- 

 mercially impossible. More recent tests have demonstrated that do- 

 mestic flax tow can be used in the production of tough wrapping, 



