1227 



Cudrania trieuspidata (Carr.) Bureau. (Moraceae.) 

 45194. Grown at Yarrow Field Station from seed re- 

 ceived from the P. J. Berckmans Company, Augusta, 

 Georgia. A small deciduous tree, with slender, thorny 

 branches, and fleshy subglobose edible fruits. Messrs. 

 Berckmans, in sending in the seed, reported that al- 

 though the one tree left in their nursery at that 

 time had fruited very well, it v/as rather difficult to 

 get any amount of fruit at one time, because the la- 

 borers seem so fond of it. The fruit is a very at- 

 tractive color, pink with a delicate bloom on it. 

 There are numerous small seeds and the flesh is soft 

 and melting with a flavor which should be more pro- 

 nounced to be really satisfactory. It is a relative 

 of the osage orange (Madura) and has been hybridized 

 with it successfully. Its fruits ripen in October and 

 November, and the best flavored seedlings should be 

 selected. There is another species, C. javanica, which 

 is tender, but which might be valuable for breeding 

 purposes. This Chinese species is hardy at Washing- 

 ton, D. C. (Fairchild. ) 



Durio zibethinus Murray. (Bombacaceae. ) 45179. Durian. 

 From Dominica, British West Indies. Presented by Mr. 

 Joseph Jones, Curator, Botanic Gardens. "I believe 

 Dominica is the only place in the Western tropics in 

 which the Durian tree has fruited. It first bore fruit 

 in this island as far back as 1892." (Jones.) A very 

 large, handsome, pyramid-shaped tree, native of the 

 Malay Archipelago, and commonly cultivated in the 

 Straits Settlements, Burma, Java, etc., for the sake 

 of its celebrated fruit. The latter, produced on the 

 older branches, varies somewhat from round to oval in 

 shape, and usually weighs from 5 to 7 Ibs., though 

 sometimes as much as 10 Ibs. It is armed with thickly 

 set formidable prickles about one-half inch long; 

 when ripe it becomes slightly yellow, and possesses 

 an odor which is intensely offensive to most people, 

 especially on first acquaintance with it. The cream- 

 colored pulp surrounding the seed is the edible por- 

 tion; this is most highly prized by the Malays and 

 other Oriental races, and is also relished by the 

 Europeans who acquire a taste for it. The large seeds 

 may be roasted and eaten like chestnuts. Durian fruits 

 are variable in size, shape, flavor, and quantity of 

 pulp, according to variety. The trees also vary in 

 productiveness, some varieties being almost barren. 

 Selection and high cultivation should, therefore, be 



