847 



Limoncello apple. Middle and southern Italy, especially 

 Naples, down to and including Sicily. The only apple 

 adapted to a warm' and dry climate, at the s.ame time pos- 

 sessing qualities which compare favorably with those of 

 good northern apples. The best variety of apple grown in 

 Italy for the general market. Medium or below medium-, 

 apex truncate, constricted below the apex, wider at base. 

 Oblong, much longer than wide. Stalk short, slender, core 

 long, narrow, solid, with very few seeds, flesh solid, 

 white, sweet and subacid, crisp and juicy. Color of skin 

 lemon yellow, shaded to a very slight pinkish flush. Fla- 

 vor strong, agreeable, resembling that of certain red 

 Cabernet grapes. Very fine shipper. Ripe from end of No- 

 vember to February. This variety is not. to be preferred 

 to our better American apples in the northern states, its 

 value consisting in its adaptability to warm countries 

 where the northern apples do not thrive. Should do well 

 in California, Arizona, and Texas, in localities with deep 

 and rich soil. It is superior to any California apples 

 grown on the central and southern plains and compares well 

 with those grown in the mountains, except as to size. Re- 

 tails at 35, 40 to 50 centesimi a kilo, or from one-half 

 to one cent American each, more or less according to size." 

 (Eisen. ) 



Marsdeiiia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight & Arnott. (Asclepia- 

 daceae.) 39685. Seed from the Royal Botanic Garden, Sib- 

 pur, near Calcutta, India. Presented by Mr. C. C. Calder. 

 "A climbing plant distributed throughout the lower Hima- 

 layas, ascending to 5000 feet from Kumaon to Assam and 

 Burma. The plant is fond of dry barren localities , twining 

 on the bushes and small trees. The bark of the steip 

 yields a large quantity of beautiful fine silky fiber 

 which is extracted by cutting the stems into sections and 

 then scraping them clean with the finger nails or with a 

 stick. The mountaineers of Rajmahal make their bowstrings 

 from this fiber because of its strength and durability. 

 In Dr. Roxburgh's test of twine made from this fiber he 

 found that in the dry and wet states it bore a strain of 

 248 and 343 pounds, when hemp in the same state bore 158 

 and 190 pounds. More recent tests however, place it below 

 hemp in strength, but above it in elasticity . The fiber 

 is much used in making fishing nets and is not liable to 

 injury by submersion in water. One of the chief charac- 

 teristics of this fiber is its elasticity and it is con- 

 sidered to be the second best fiber in India. This spe- 

 cies, though producing a good fiber is not in general cul- 

 tivation, for, being a climber, difficulties exist with 

 which the Indian cultivator has not attempted to deal. A 

 milky juice exudes from the cuts on the stems which thick- 

 ens into an elastic substance which acts In the same way 



