588 



tains for about six months of the year from April to September 

 or October, but the rest of the year is dry. I got these last 

 March just at the end of the season. I should judge they would 

 make fine stock feed in meal; in fact, the natives eat them 

 and told me they fatten their hogs on them finely as the 

 shells are thin and very brittle. The meats appear to have 

 much oil. I find them rather hard when dry. When I got them 

 the meats were softer than chestnuts when first gathered." 

 (Wolcott.) For distribution later. 



ORYZA SATIVA. (Poaceae.) 34220-249. Seeds of rice from 

 Manila, Philippine Islands. Presented by Mr. F. W. Taylor, 

 Director of Agriculture, through Mr. 0. W. Barrett, Chief, 

 Division of Horticulture, Bureau of Agriculture. Thirty vari- 

 eties, some of them yielding as much as two and a half tons 

 per acre. For distribution later. 



PERSEA LINGUE. (Lauraceae.) 34157. Seeds of lingue from 

 Santa Ines, Chile. Presented by Mr. Salvador Izquierdo. "This 

 is a very valuable industrial forest tree of large size, hand- 

 some, compact, evergreen, with glossy gray-green leaves and is 

 an extra quick grower; here it is not a delicate plant but 

 grows quickly in any soil that is wet or very moist, and also 

 in water. The wood is light and tough like elm, but takes a 

 very high finish. Its lumber is highly esteemed and is last- 

 ing if protected from the wet; used for furniture, bodies and 

 poles of carts, ox yokes, etc. The wood is the color of white 

 ash, and when finished has a yellowish tinge. It takes any 

 stain. Its bark is solely used for tanning and is largely ex- 

 ported to Europe. Every station in the south is filled to 

 overflowing with thousands of bags of broken bark awaiting 

 transportation. The forests are being stripped, and in a very 

 few years this tree will be very scarce. It is an extra beaut- 

 iful shade tree. Its leaves are poisonous to animals, especi- 

 ally sheep, who are very fond of them. Medicinally it is a pow- 

 erful astringent." (Jose D. Husbands.) For distribution later. 



PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA. (Phoenicaceae . ) 34213. Offshoots 

 of the Medjool date, received through Mr. Walter T. Swingle 

 from Dr. L. Trabut , Government Botanist of Algeria, who se- 

 cured them from the Er Reteb region, Tafilelt, Morocco through 

 Si Mohammed ben Idris Fassi. "The Medjool date comes from the 

 Tafilelt region in southeastern Morocco. It is the finest 

 variety in the Tafilelt country but is unknown in America and 

 comparatively little known in Europe, except in England and 

 Spain, in both which countries it brings a higher price than 

 any other date on the market, in spite of the fact that it 



