782 



Bureau. "Pacaya palms are grown here in great abundance 

 so that any amount of seed could be obtained. Some of the 

 palms have four five or even six pacayas, as the edible 

 male inflorescences are called. I feel confident that the 

 palms would grow very well under slat house conditions, 

 and would suggest that a planting be made on that basis at 

 Miami, with the idea of leaving some of the palms to grow 

 to maturity. They attain a height of 12 to 15 feet, but 

 fruit much younger, possibly in the third or fourth year." 

 (Cook.) 



Passiflora laurifolia. (Passif loraceae . ) 38373. Plants 

 of passion fruit from Manila. Presented by Mr. H. T. 

 Edwards, Director of Agriculture, through Mr. Harry H. 

 Boyle, Assistant Horticulturist. "An edible variety ob- 

 tained from Mr. P. Morange, Director, Saigon Botanic Gar- 

 dens, Cochin China. The fruit is a bright yellow color, 

 pear-shaped, about the size of the ordinary pear tomato, 

 and very similar to it in appearance. There is extracted 

 from the leaves a bitter substance which is employed to 

 counteract Intermittent fever." (Boyle.) 



Persea americana . (Lauraceae.) 38400-402, 38477, 38549- 

 564, 38578, 38581, 38583, 38587, 38638-640. Scions and 

 seeds of avocados from Coban, Antigua, and Guatemala City, 

 Guatemala. Collected by Mr. 0. F. Cook, of this Bureau. 

 "The avocado season is much too far along now (in May and 

 June) to do satisfactory work. In most places the season 

 is completely over but at the higher altitudes a few 

 fruits are still in the market, as yet none of a quality 

 to particularly recommend them. It is the late varieties 

 of these countries that we want. The early varieties 

 ripen in August and September, the others in December, 

 etc., and as the colder places are reached the crop goes 

 around into the spring months." (Cook.) Twenty-seven 

 varieties of hard-shelled avocados. 



Reiiilmrdtia spp . (Phoenicaceae . ) 38538-540. Seeds of a 

 palm from Livingston, Guatemala. Collected by Mr. 0. F. 

 Cook. "A small palm 10-15 feet high; trunk 4 inches 

 thick, bearing large clusters of coral red fruits about 

 the size of thorn apples (Crataegus) and having exactly 

 the same taste." (Cook.) 



Rhododendron dauricum. (Ericaceae.) 38413. Seeds of 

 a rhododendron from Novospasskoe , Russia. Presented by 

 Mr. A. Woeikoff, Director, Bureau of Acclimatization. 

 "Tuis purple-f lowered Rhododendron is a native of Dahuria, 

 Manchuria, and Sachalin, and coming from a cold region, a 

 spell of mild weather in midwinter causes It to begin to 

 open its flowers very early in this country (England); 



