JULY, 1906, TO DECEMBER, 1901. 7 



Manchuria, and grasses, legumes, vegetables, cereals, hardy stone 

 fruits, apples, pears, grapes, and ornamentals from northern Korea, 

 eastern Siberia, and Manchuria. 



These explorations in China by Mr. Meyer have been the most 

 extensive that have been undertaken by this office and at the same 

 time the most economically conducted. Mr. Meyer has at two differ- 

 ent times come very near losing his life, and during a large part of 

 his journeyings he has been subjected to extreme hardships such as 

 few of our previous explorers have had to contend with. His work 

 is deserving of the highest praise. 



This inventory also includes the collections of Prof. N. E. Hansen, 

 of the South Dakota Agricultural College, who made, as agricultural 

 explorer of this office, an extensive trip through northern Europe and 

 across Siberia by rail. The results of his collections are recorded in 

 309 inventory numbers, and these include high-latitude grains and 

 leguminous plants from above the Arctic Circle in Norway and Swe- 

 den; interesting forage grasses, clovers, and alcohol potatoes from 

 Russia; vegetables, stone fruits, sorghums, and millets from Turkes- 

 tan, and new cereals, grasses, alfalfas, and vetches from Siberia. Of 

 these the most remarkable are the wild alfalfas, which form a part 

 of the excellent wild hay of the steppes and which are subjected to 

 most unusual cold and drought, and it is hoped that they will prove 

 of value in the northern area of the Mississippi Vallej^. 



The large importations of matting plants from the Orient which 

 were made by our agricultural explorer Mr. John Tull in 1906 appear 

 in this inventory and represent a difficult piece of introduction work 

 which is likely to be of great value to the Southern States. Several 

 acre plantings from these importations are now growing in the 

 South. 



Through a cooperative arrangement with the Arnold Arboretum, 

 Mr. E. H. Wilson, the well-known botanical explorer of China, who 

 is now on the Upper Yangtse River collecting seeds and plants for 

 the arboretum, has secured some wheats, sorghums, raspberries, bam- 

 boos, and wild rhubarb of unusual interest, which are listed in this 

 inventory. 



Some collections, received through correspondence, of unusual in- 

 terest are seeds of 28 varieties of dates for the seedling date orchards 

 in the Southwest ; 125 varieties of rice from Hawaii ; new varieties of 

 mangos, taros, and bananas from various parts of the world, and the 

 Huasco seedless raisin grape from Chile. 



David Fairchild, 

 Agricultural Explorer in Charge. 



Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, 



Washington, D. c 7 ., May 26, 1908. 



