765 



strained and sweetened pulp with milk. The ease of its 

 culture together with the superiority of its fruit recom- 

 mends the imbu for careful trial in Florida and Cali- 

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



Ziziphus joazeiro. (Rhamnaceae . ) 37923. Seeds of the 

 jua from Joazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. "Seed of the jua, col- 

 lected from wild trees on the catinga near the river two 

 miles below town. This interesting and valuable tree is 

 common on the catingas or dry lands bordering on the Rio 

 Sao Francisco from Joazeiro nearly up to the border of 

 the state of Minas . Here at Joazeiro it is quite common, 

 but the trees are usually found scattered among the other 

 plants on the catinga and do not occur in large groves. 

 In places where cattle and horses can get at the trees 

 while young they are kept eaten off almost to the ground, 

 and have a peculiar dwarfed, stunted appearance. When al- 

 lowed to develop to mature size the tree forms a beautiful 

 dense green umbrageous head of foliage thirty feet in 

 diameter. The leaves are somewhat hard and brittle in 

 texture, oval to ovate and about two inches in length. 

 The small wood is armed with short stiff thorns which are 

 not however, particularly dangerous. The fruit varies 

 greatly in size according to the tree by which it is 

 produced. The best fruits are nearly an inch in diam- 

 eter, creamy yellow in color, spherical or nearly so. In- 

 side the thin skin is a thick layer of mealy flesh, within 

 which lies the seed and the layer of translucent, muci- 

 laginous pulp which surrounds it. The seed is about the 

 size and shape of a small olive stone. The pulp adheres 

 to it very closely and can scarcely be separated even in 

 the mouth. The flavor is peculiar and somewhat insipid. 

 The trees bear prodigiously, the ground under them being 

 covered with fruit at the end of the season. Sheep, 

 cattle, horses, and swine eat the fruit greedily, and it 

 is considered wholesome for them. The principal value of 

 this tree would seem to be as a source of stock food in 

 dry regions, both the fruits and the foliage being of 

 value for this purpose. In addition the ornamental value 

 of this tree, and its drought-resisting qualities, commend 

 it for culture in arid regions. While it is probably 

 not very hardy, it seems likely to be adapted to the 

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



NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD. 



Dr. Joseph Bailie writes from Nanking, province of 

 Kiang-su, China, May 22, 1914: "You see from a bulletin 

 which will be sent you that the Chinese officials have 

 taken hold of the Colonization work which I began and are 



