761 



round; size medium small, length two and seven-eighth to 

 three and one-half inches, diameter two and one-half to 

 three and one-fourth inches; stem inserted squarely; base 

 rounded, cavity none or practically none; apex rounded; 

 surface smooth; color when fully ripe bright orange; skin 

 one-eighth inch thick, pliable, oil glands rather small; 

 segments commonly ten, rag rather tough, core open, one- 

 fourth to three-eighths inch in diameter; flesh golden 

 yellow, tender, exceedingly juicy; flavor sweet, apt to 

 be cloying when the fruit is very ripe; quality good; 

 seeds averaging eight to ten, small to medium size. While 

 most abundant in the markets about Christmas time the sea- 

 son commences in late September or October and extends to 

 the end of January. The variety is an extremely prolofic 

 bearer, quite a contrast in this respect to 'selecta 1 , 

 whose bearing habits are those of the Bahia navel orange. 

 The branches of 'pera' trees are not infrequently so 

 heavily laden with fruits that they have to be propped to 

 prevent them from breaking. One of the finest groves of 

 this variety seen in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro is 

 that of Sr. Cezar Augusto Henriques, at Maxambomba. The 

 trees here are all budded on the sour orange ('laranja de 

 terra'), the commonest stock in this region and generally 

 considered the best; at four years of age the budded trees 

 produce on an average five hundred fruits per tree, ac- 

 cording to the statement of the owner. The usual price 

 obtained for the fruits is 5$000 (about $1.60) per hundred. 

 The orchard is situated on a hillside, the soil being rich 

 clay loam, grayish in color. No deep cultivation is given 

 the trees, but the surface is frequently hoed to keep down 

 weeds." (Dorsett, Popenoe, and Shamel introduction.) 



Copernicia cerlfera. (Phoenicaceae . ) 37866. Seeds of the 

 carnauba palm from Joazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. "A valuable 

 wax palm found along the banks of the Rio Sao Francisco 

 from v/ell above Barra to below Joazeiro. In places it 

 grows in great abundance, forming large groves along tne 

 banks of the stream. The leaves are fan-shaped, rather 

 finely cut, two to three feet in diameter, and light 

 green in color. The plant frequently attains a height of 

 from twenty-five to thirty feet. The wax is extracted by 

 cutting the leaves and drying them in the sun, when the 

 wax exudes in the form of a powder. Candles made from it 

 are yellowish brown in color, extremely hard and burn with 

 a clear yellow fairly brilliant light. They sell for 

 forty reis each, but very few are made nowadays and they 

 are difficult to obtain. The fruit is for hog feed and 

 many of the large land owners are preserving the trees 

 for the production of fruit. The trunks are extensively 

 employed in building houses. The wax industry was former- 



