551 



In Great Britain, according to Veitch's Manual, it is usually a 

 smaller tree than P. laricio proper and of denser habit, with 

 stout and long horizontal branches and shorter but stouter and 

 more rigid leaves of a darker green. It is said to be a fast 

 growing tree of great accommodative power on the poorer class- 

 es of soils for bearing shade; it is one of the best kinds for 

 forming shelter screens. The wood is coarser in grain than 

 that of P. laricio and is apt to be knotty when the trees have 

 been grown in poor soils." (Beissner, Nadelholzkur.de.) For 

 distribution later. 



PISTACIA VERA. ( Anacardiaceae . ) 33441. Cuttings of the 

 pistache from Bronte, Itly. Presented by Mr. Charles Beek, 

 gardener to the Duke of Bronte. An interesting shipment 

 because of the various forms of packing used. Some cuttings 

 were packed with their ends wrapped in clay and then in cloth, 

 others with the ends waxed, others with moss and oiled paper, 

 and a lot in a tin tube with both ends packed in clay. Of 

 these the propagator says; "There is such a slight difference 

 in the condition of the 3 bundles of these scions that it is 

 hard to say which is best, as all are in good condition except 

 the tin tube lot. I really think the ones that had their ends 

 covered with stiff clay are the best, the ones with the ends 

 waxed came next, then the moss and oiled paper lot. The tin 

 tube lot is in poor condition, all cuttings being mouldy and 

 decayed on both ends." For distribution later. 



RICINUS COMMUNIS. (Euphorbiaceae . ) 33408-417. Seeds of 

 castor bean from British India. Presented by Mr. John D. 

 Shanahan, late of this Bureau, who procured them at the Alla- 

 habad exhibition. "There is one feature about the castor bean 

 which all the evidence the writer could collect seems to bear 

 out, and that is that the smaller bean is very much more de- 

 sirable for commercial use than the larger one, as it is gene- 

 rally given credit for producing a larger yield and better 

 quality oil. This of course is only in a general way. In 

 India where the greater part of the commercial bean is ob- 

 tained, the product grown in the territory surrounding Cawn- 

 pore is usually very large and in commercial contracts this 

 bean is barred on account of its large size and insignificant 

 yield of oil. The castor plant grows very large in some sec- 

 tions, reaching a height of from 25 to 30 feet, and in India 

 it is mostly grown as a hedge plant, surrounding fields and 

 dooryards. The manufacture of castor oil is growing in this 

 country and it seems to the writer that the production of beans 

 in this country should be encouraged." (Shanahan.) For 

 distribution later. 



