140 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



21202. Jim ub i.ih sis. Rush. 



From Webster, Tex. Presented by Mr. K. Saibara, through Mr. John II. 

 lull. Received July 8, 1907. 



Secured for experiments in matting-rush Investigations. 



21203. Ki..iii\ pinnata. Sausage tree. 



Prom c.iin.. Egypt. Presented by Mr. George l'. Foaden, secretary, Khe- 

 divlal Agricultural Society. Received July '.'. 1907. 



"A u- I shade tree having exceedingly still" foliage; the leaves are rougb, like 



sandpaper." i FairchUd. t 



21204. Xii'ini.iiM i.ik in. Litchi. 



From Singhua, Fukien, China. Secured by Rev. William N. Brewster^ 

 Re :elved al Seattle, ■ ictober is, 1906. 



" Boil. The trees flourish best la .-> soft, moist, black soil ; alluvium seems best. 



•• Location. Near by or on the bank of n stream or irrigation canal is best. 

 though tins is n.. i essential. Where there is qo stream the trees sIk.mI<i be 

 watered so frequently thai the ground below the surface is always moist; 

 aboul twice o week when rain is aol abundanl should be enough. After the 

 young trees are well started, aboul 2 or :: years old, the irrigation may be less 

 frequent 



" Frost e:iu n.. i be borne at all. They will aol flourish north of the frosl line. 

 Thej are particularly sensitive to cold while young, n is the custom here 



to wrap the trees with straw to proted them from the COld. Alter the trees 



are ;. or 6 years old they are less sensitive, ami it takes quite a heavy frosl 

 to injur.- them. 



" Pruning is not practiced with the litchi. The leaves, branches, ami blossoms 

 are allowed to grow without molestation, it is notable that the companion 

 tree, tin- 'llngeng' (Nephelium longanum), is treated in exactly the opposite 

 way by the same Chinese cultivators. The only pruning seems to be thai re 

 quired t.> prevent tin- young tree from bearing until it is .-) or i; years old. 

 This is wit Important— especially s<> vvlth the ' Llngeng.' 



"Propagation is accomplished by tying a ball of earth aboul 8 inches in 

 diameter i.. a joint on a branch of a good tie.-. This is done in February or 



March. Aii earthen vessel with the botl broken out is fastened to the' top 



of the ball, and this is tilled with water almost daily. In about eighl months 

 the branch may be ,-iit off and planted in the manner above described. The 

 young tree should be plant. -d in soil similar to that of the earth ball. 



■• Blossoms appear in April. They are very small and make very little change 

 in tin- appearance of the tree The blossoms fall off or thin themselves out 

 without trouble to the li«»rt i.-ul t urist. The fruit ripens in July. It is a bright 

 red .-..lor wli.-n ripe, ami at a little distance a stranger would mistake it for 

 a strawberry, as it is like that fruit in color, shape, and size. However, it has 

 a rougb rind, or thick skin, which breaks oil' easily. The meat is white, 

 Slightly tart, and very delicious. Who can describe a taste? 



"The seeds are both large and small on the same tree. The small pit, of 

 Course, is much more desirable, but so far the Chinese do not seem to know 

 how to develop uniformly small-seeded fruit. They claim that the blossoms 

 that come out first develop small-seeded fruit, and the later ones are large. 

 However, there are trees which bear many small-seeded litchis and others that 

 are uniformly the opposite. They think the original tree and the soil have 

 much to do with this. 



" Grafting is not practiced with the litchi so far as I can learn. This is also 

 in marked contrast to the methods used in 'lingeng' culture. 



"Fertilization is important. Guano is probably as good as anything. The 

 Chinese use night soil. They dig a shallow^ trench around the tree at the end 

 of the roots and fill it with liquid manure of some sort. This is done about 

 once in three months. 



••Enemies. — The litchi has enemies, as all good things do. There is a worm 

 that makes a ring around the trunk under the bark. When the circle is com- 

 plete the tree dies ; but the bark is broken by it, and by careful watching this 

 132 



