82 NOTES ON THE AGRICULTURE, BOTANY 



provinces in the post-tetrian limnetical sediments the seeds of 

 Euryale ferox goes to prove this. 



As this plant at Harbin was examined, Euryale grows 

 only in stagnant waters 2-5 feet deep ; the seeds begin to shoot 

 only at the end of May; the first leaves are seen in June. 

 In July, August up to September the plant rapidly increases 

 in size and gives about 10-15 leaves and 5-10 flowers, which 

 are always under the water. The bright leaf is 1 meter 

 and 10 cm. in diameter. The ripe fruits are of different sizes 

 — the first are the biggest and sometimes are of 15 cm. in 

 length and 11-12 cm. in breadth; the smallest mostly are not 

 quite ripe. The big fruits contain about 30-60 white, round 

 seeds of 1-1.4 cm. in diameter, the small fruits only 5-10 big 

 seeds, the remaining are very small of 0.3-0.5 cm. in 

 diameter. 



At the end of September the leaves disappear; the fruits 

 are immersed at the bottom of the basins ; not before Spring 

 do they come asunder and the seeds are scattered on the 

 ground. During the winter, the white autumn colour of the 

 seeds changes to dark black. The chemical analysis made 

 by Mr. P. M. Karwowski in Harbin, shows that the kernels 

 of Euryale contain more than 50% of starch and only 5 % of 

 oil. 



'The growth of Euryale in North Manchuria — in a 

 country with such great winter cold is worthy of attention. 

 It shows that this subtropical plant is a native of Manchuria. 



XXIII. — On the Study of the Flowers of the 

 Manchurian Wild Apricot. 



The Manchurian apricot tree (Prunus manshurica 

 Kockne) represents one of the characteristic plants of the 

 Manchurian flora and is seen only in the mountains of the 

 south and middle parts, especially on the southern shores and 

 in places protected from the north winds. In botany nothing 

 much was known of this plant up to the present and only 

 specimens with the fruits have been described without 

 flowers. For this reason some observations were made by 

 me at Harbin in the spring of 1918. They are as follows : — 



Buds. — The leaf buds of the apricot tree are collected 

 on the branches in threes of which only one is developed, the 

 remaining two die and fall. 



Flowering. — The buds' swelling begins in the middle of 

 April and already in the beginning of May the trees are in 

 flower and at this time they have no leaves. The flowers 

 are in bud altogether one week, depending on weather 

 conditions. 



