1249 



Personally, I found the fruit, when eaten with powdered 

 sugar, a good dish, though the Persians do not eat 

 it." (Merrill.) 



t 



Holcus sorghum (Poaceae), 45348. Kafir corn. From 

 Johannesburg, South Africa. Presented by Mr. J. Burtt- 

 Davy, Botanist, Agricultural Supply Association. "Ka- 

 fir corn grown by natives in the Vereeniging District 

 of the Transvaal and claimed by them to be earlier in 

 maturing than any other sorts grown in the neighbor- 

 hood. This strain may prove of immense value in areas 

 having a short growing season. The rainfall at Veree- 

 nigning averages about 27 inches and comes almost en- 

 tirely in the summer." (Burtt-Davy . ) 



Persea americana (Lauraceae), 45505. Avocado. From 

 Guatemala. Collected by Mr. Wilson Popenoe, Agricul- 

 tural Explorer for this Department. "(No. 195. Avo- 

 cado No. 32. Akbal. Guatemala, Guatemala. November 

 6, 1917.) This is a variety noteworthy for earliness, 

 and it has been included in the set primarily for this 

 characteristic. It is, however, of very good quality 

 and has no visible defects except a slightly undesir- 

 able shape. Judging by its behavior in Guatemala, it 

 should be the earliest variety in the collection, but 

 it is not safe to depend upon its retaining this 

 characteristic in the United States, since slight lo- 

 cal variations in soil or climate sometimes affect 

 the period of ripening very noticeably, and its earli- 

 ness in Guatemala may not be altogether an inherent 

 characteristic. This is rather a warm region, hence 

 there is nothing to indicate that the variety will be 

 unusually hardy. The crop harvested in the fall of 

 1917 was a good one. According to the owner, it was 

 600 fruits, but judging from its appearance while 

 still on the tree it must have been considerably more 

 than that. The bearing habits of the tree were only 

 under observation for one season, but they give promise 

 of being very satisfactory. The flowering season is 

 in November and December, and the fruit ripens from 

 the following August to November. It is fully ripe 

 and in perfect condition for picking by the middle of 

 October, whereas the average variety of the same re- 

 gion is not mature until January at the earliest. In 

 two characteristics this variety does not seem to 

 agree with the Guatemalan race. It has a very thin 

 skin and the seed coats do not adhere closely to the 

 cotyledons. A few other varieties showing these same 



