20 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



19261 to 19263— Continued. 



1 1 is of the same height and general habit and about 2A feet in diameter. Thil 

 is said to have grown from a seed of the larger tree planted at the time o 

 the civil war. Neither of these trees are very prolific bearers: the larger on< 

 is said to have borne about a peek of nuts while in its prime, but at the pres 

 ent time the crop does no1 amount to more than 2 dozen nuts; the other tr< 

 bore about half this quantity. 



"The trees seem to have characteristics between those of our native black 

 walnut, butternut, and the Persian walnut. The twigs, buds, and leaves resem 

 ble the last named; the outer rind of the fruit resembles that of our native 

 black walnut and the nut itself inclines slightly toward that of the butternut 

 Both the outer and the inner husks of the nut are very thick shelled, and the 

 kernel is very small in proportion. It lias poor germinating powers, which 

 probably indicates a hybrid weakness. 



- No history of the large tree is available. It was described by Prof. J. T. 

 Rothrock in Forest Leaves, vol. 2, p. 133, who suggests that it is a hybrid 

 between J. nigra and ./. regia. In spite of the strong resemblance of this tree 

 to those parents, the fruit does not at all agree with hybrids which are known 

 to have been bred from those two species (S. P. 1. Nos. 21612 and 21710). This, 

 bowever, may be a variation due to its hybrid origin. The abnormal length of 

 the fruit of the .lames River hybrid suggests slightly the butternut (./. cinerea), 

 but the younger of the two trees shows quite a tendency in its twigs to revert 

 to J. nigra, although the nuts can not be distinguished from those of its parent. 



"The size nf these trees proves them to he of extraordinarily rapid growth, 

 for allowing for them the natural rate of growth of our native walnuts it would 



be impossible to acCOUnl for tl rigin of the larger tree as a hybrid between 



American and European species, as its size would indicate that It was planted 

 perhaps before the settlement ;ii Jamestown. It is in all probability, however, 

 nut more than L50 or 200 years old. Scions have been secured for grafting 

 Upon the native walnut as a possible rapid-growing timber tree to furnish the 

 highly prized walnut lumber. Experiments by Mr. Luther Burbank in Cali- 

 fornia in grafting hybrids upon the slower-growing native trees have shown 

 that the BCions stimulate the stock to even faster growth than themselves. 

 Their rapid growth, hence, would presenl no obstacle to their propagation by 

 grafting." i Fi8Chi r. I 



19261. Nuts of both trees, mixed by accident. 



19262. Scions of the parent tree. 



19263. Scions of the second generation. 



19264 to 19268. 



From London, England. Received through James Veitch & Sons, October 

 13, 1906. 



19264 to 19267. Obambe maritima. Sea kale. 



19264 and 19265. Beddard's Improved. 



19266 and 19267. Lily White. 



19268. Cynaba scolymus. Artichoke. 



Globe. 



19269. Bambtjsa tulda. Bamboo. 

 From Sibpur, Calcutta, India. Presented by Mr. A. Gage, curator, Royal 



Botanic Garden. Received October 12, 1906. 



(See also S. P. I. No. 21002.) 



19270. Colocasla sp. Dasheen. 



From Paramaribo, Surinam. Presented by Mr. H. Polak, at the request 

 of Dr. J. J. Van Hall, Director of Agriculture for the Dutch West Indies. 

 Received October 13, 1906. 



" Tubers of a new variety of tayer, called Eksi-taja, which means egg-tayer." 

 (Polak.) 

 132 





