768 



Amygdalus persica. (Amygdalaceae . ) 38178. Cuttings 

 and plants of the Fel peach from Feitcheng, Shantung, 

 China. "A remarkable variety of clingstone peach, con- 

 sidered to he the best in all China. Size large to very 

 large; shape round, very heavy, often over one pound 

 apiece; skin quite downy and of pale yellowish color with 

 a slight blush on one side. Flesh very juicy and sweet 

 and of excellent aromatic flavor, of white color, except 

 near the stone where it is reddish. Stone very large and 

 pointed, flesh strongly adhering to it. Ripens in early 

 to middle October and possesses excellent shipping and 

 keeping qualities. The trees are of erect growth when 

 young, but when older they spread out considerably, 

 remaining of open growth. To reach their greatest per- 

 fection these peaches need to be fertilized each spring, 

 while during dry seaaons, they are irrigated from wells. 

 The fruit is also thinned. The soil they seem to thrive 

 in best is a porous, light clayey loam of reddish color, 

 retaining moisture quite well, but not becoming too soggy. 

 The local people calculate that on an average a tree sup- 

 plies ten dollars Mexican worth of fruit each season and 

 they consider an orchard of these peaches a very valuable 

 asset indeed. The climate around Feitcheng is of a semi- 

 arid nature and this variety of peach may be expected to 

 thrive especially well in the regions west of the Rocky 

 Mountains. Chinese name, 'Fei tao,' meaning 'Fei peach.' 

 (Meyer's introduction.) 



Amygdalus persica. (Amygdalaceae.) 38272-276. Peach 

 cuttings from near Tai an fu, Shantung, China. Five 

 varieties, one said to be very large and juicy, weighing 

 up to a pound, and keeping to December, another of medium 

 size, ripening late, and keeping well, a third very orna- 

 mental flowering variety, with small, peculiarly-shaped 

 3-pointed, rosy-red fruits, and two of the 'pien tao' or 

 flat varieties, of good quality. (Meyer's introduction.) 



Catalpa bungei. (Bignoniaceae . ) 38254. Trees of ca- 

 talpa from near the village of Wang yu ko, Shansi, China. 

 "A quickly growing Chinese timber tree, growing to large 

 size, specimens seen 100 feet tall, with trunks 10-15 feet 

 in diameter a few feet above the ground. The Chinese 

 plant this tree for its wood, which is strong, light, 

 durable and non-warping. It resembles walnut to a con- 

 siderable extent and is much in demand for table tops and 

 for fine furniture. This tree might possibly be profit- 

 ably cultivated in the semi-arid sections of the United 

 States where the winters are not too severe, while the 

 summers may be quite hot. They are easily propagated from 



