FORESTRY. 243 



special attention being given to its culture as a catch crop with rubber. The 

 author is of the opinion that robusta coffee is especially fitted as a catch crop 

 on account of its early bearing habits. Under proper conditions it yields about 

 15 cwt. per acre 3 years from planting. 



The ornamental value of the saltbushes, D. Griffiths (U. 8. Dept. Agr., 

 Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 69, pp. 6, pi. 1). — A brief discussion of the ornamental 

 value of the saltbushes with special reference to their adaptability to the arid 

 and alkaline soils of the Southwest. Some of the species are evergreen in the 

 warmer situations and will thrive on either alkaline or nonalkaline soils. Other 

 species are hardy in cold climates. A number of species are rapid growers and 

 adapted for hedges, since they shape up well and make a thick impenetrable 

 growth. They thrive with u minimum of moisture, but resiwnd readily to a 

 greater supply. The main disadvantage of saltbushes is the brittleness of the 

 wood. 



FORESTRY. 



Report of committee on breeding nut and forest trees, G. B. Sudworth 

 {Amer. Breeders Mag., 1 (1910), No. 3, pp. 185-193). — ^This report deals par- 

 ticularly with the progress made by the forest experiment stations at Flagstaff, 

 Ariz., and on Pike's Peak, near Manitou, Colo., in the breeding of tree seeds 

 and the introduction of exotics. 



Tests of seed were made from old western yellow pine, ranging in age from 

 280 to 425 years and from young western yellow pine, ranging in age from 125 

 to 145 years. The seed from the young pines gave 83.2 i^er cent germination, 

 whereas the seed from the old pines gave only 68.4 per cent. Seed tests were 

 also made of 9 different species of native conifers obtained from National 

 Forests in 38 widely separated localities in the western half of the United States. 

 The results are tabulated and discussed. Plantations with seed obtained from 

 different sources as to region, elevation, age, and soundness of mother trees are 

 to be made and studied for a number of years. During the past year an actual 

 trial was made with 53 exotic species here listed, of which 39 are eucalypts. 

 The judicious selection of tree seeds, improvement of the present forest by 

 silvicultural treatment, and the introduction of exotics for the extension of 

 forest regions are given as the 3 imi)ortant problems for consideration. 



Walnut-oak hybrid experiments, E. B. Babcock (Amer. Breeders Mag., 1 

 (1910), No. 3, pp. 200-202).— In the fall of 1907 the attention of the author 

 was called to certain so-called walnut-oak hybrids growing in southern Cali- 

 fornia. "Without any facts to explain the identity of these trees exiieriments 

 were conducted during the past 3 years to secure data that would either sub- 

 stantiate or discredit the hypothesis of origin through hybridization between 

 oak and walnut. In 190S crosses were made between the native walnut of 

 southern California, Juglans californica as the female parent and the coast live 

 oak, Qiiercus agrifolia, and one of the oak hybrids as male parents. Precau- 

 tious were taken to prevent either self-pollination or outside pollination from 

 other sources. 



Twenty-seven nuts were procured from the oak-walnut cross and 13 nuts 

 from the walnut-oak hybrid-walnut cross. Twenty-four trees were growing 

 from the former nuts in 1909 and 12 trees from the latter. Owing to various 

 adverse conditions no seed was procured from the crosses made in 1909, but 

 in 1910, 151 nuts were secured from crosses between Q. agrifolia and J. cali- 

 fornica and 29 nuts from crosses made between Q. engelmanni and J. cali- 

 fornica. The seedlings are to be studied further. 



The commercial hickories. A, T. Boisen and J. A. Newlin (TJ. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Forest Serv. Bvl. 80, pp. 64, pis. 6, figs. 17). — This bulletin reports a detailed 



