410 



soon as it ripens. "It grows in such plenty in my garden that 

 the seedlings are a perfect nuisance, so I do not anticipate 

 that you will have, any difficulty in growing them." This in- 

 troduction is a tree already tried in California and found to 

 "be a very rapid grower. It is made for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the possibility of using the sawdust of the wood, which 

 is very soft and light, as packing for grapes in place of the 

 cork and redwood sawdust commonly used. 



PARAGUAY, Horqueta. Mr. T. R. Gwynn writes January 17 that 

 as we failed to receive the seeds and specimens of "timbo" 

 (PithecoloMum sp.?), the "urunday" (Astroniura sp.?), the "eud- 

 piy" (Piptadenia sp.?), and the "cedro" (Cedrela sp.?), he will 

 t them for us as soon as he can. The "cedro" he describes as 

 having "a leaf exactly like our "black walnut, "but the wood is 

 soft, grain smooth and even, color of wood exactly that of our 

 cedar, is not an evergreen, is excellent for posts, and grows 

 from posts planted in the ground." He will also send shortly 

 roots of the "guavadamy", and has "been promised seed, leaves 

 and twigs of the "ymangasy" or Paraguay rubber tree. In all has 

 spent "something like $500 Paraguay paper money, which is now 

 at a discount of 1300 per cent and has been down to 1800 per 

 cent, so you see I haven't spent much." 



PARAGUAY, Villa Encarnacion. Mr. C. F. Mead writes Feb. 1 

 that as scon as he can obtain them, he will send seeds of the 

 Yerfca carmi or yellow yerba. This grows as a shrub, is a finer 

 flavored yerba "but not as profitable. However, it flourishes 

 in very poor soil. "As regards the cactus caraguata, (Bromelia 

 argentina, S.P.I. 28689), of which I sent seeds some time ago, 

 giving the plant a bad name on account of its spreading habit , 

 it seems that the fibers of the leaves are used for making 

 rope, the same as henequen and the like plants cultivated in 

 Mexico. While putting up Caraguata bridge, I tested a rough 

 rope of f inch made of caraguata and it stood a greater strain 

 than a new f inch manilla rope(German make), lifting in succes- 

 sion a steel girder of 560 kilos and then a steel trestle of 

 870 kilos. The f inch manilla lifted the girder but broke on 

 the trestle. The caraguata rope was a rough affair, just twist- 

 ed together by one of my peons, but most of the fibers were 

 about 30 inches long." 



