412 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 13, No. 18 
Two chayotes were planted at Takoma Park, Md., on May 20,1922. The 
first fruit was large enough to use on Oct. 15. On Oct. 28, because of threaten- 
ing frost, the sixteen largest fruits were picked. The vines, growing on a 
grape arbor, were covered with canvas, to protect them from frost, until Nov. 
25, when a hard freeze stopped most of the growth. At this time the crop 
consisted of a half bushel of fruits more than 4 inches long and enough smaller 
ones to fill 3 quart jars; these small fruits were made into pickles. 
About the time the first fruit was picked, it was noticed that some of the 
staminate inflorescences were bearing pistillate flowers. Some of these 
were examined, and were found to have part of the stigmatic surface changed 
into another and bearing pollen. Many of these pistillate flowers produced 
fruits and, hanging in clusters on the long stalks of the staminate inflores- 
cences, formed a marked contrast to the normal fruits which were borne on 
short peduncles in the axils of the leaves. It is thought that the extra flori- 
ferousness was due to heavy rains during the summer washing manure from 
a chicken yard down onto the level ground in which the chayotes were growing. 
Chayotes grown at other places in Takoma Park and elsewhere near Washing- 
ton did not produce any flowers, though the vines made strong growths and 
were apparently healthy. Considering that possibly these two vines might be 
developed into an early fruiting strain, one vine was transplanted to the green- 
house at the Bell Plant Introduction Garden, Glendale, Md., while the other 
is being protected from frost as much as possible where it grew. Ten of the 
maturest looking fruits have been placed in cold storage at Arlington Farm 
and will be planted next season. It is interesting to know that two fruits from 
one of these vines, which have been kept in a moderately cool room, were 
showing the tips of the cotyledons on Jan. 2, 1923, proving that they are 
mature enough to grow. As the vine at Bell Station is thriving nicely, the 
prospects are good for a thorough test of the early fruiting possibilities of this 
strain. 
Witson Popenor: Fruit-growing and ornamental gardening in Chile. 
(Illustrated.) 
Chile has been called the California of the South. In topography, in eli- 
mate, and in soil it strongly resembles the Pacific coast region of our own 
country, and eventually it should vie with California as a producer of fruits 
such as the peach, the apricot, the pear, the apple, and the prune. For many 
years Chile obtained such large revenues from the nitrate industry that rela- 
tively little attention was devoted to agriculture. Since the end of the World 
War, nitrate has been at so low a figure that the country has realized the 
necessity of greater diversification in its resources. One of the first steps 
taken by the government has been to foster the expansion of commercial fruit 
growing. 
The ornamental plants found in Chilean gardens are, in the majority of 
cases, ones familiar to Californians. The Lombardy poplar is much used for 
avenues, and a few native Chilean trees, such as Maytenus boaria and Boldoa 
fragrans, are seen in gardens. Various species of Hucalyptus and other trees 
from Australia are commonly grown, and numerous ornamental plants have 
been introduced from the Mediterranean region. On the whole, it may be 
said that one familiar with the plants grown in California gardens finds 
himself altogether at home in Chile. 
Roy G. Prerce, Recording Secretary. 
