164 SEEDS \NI> PLANTS IMPORTED. 



21547 Continued. 



thai after weighing .-ill the evidence, both for and against them, be, personally, 

 is of the opinion thai the tree in question is probably a graft-hybrid, this being 

 the easiest way to explain its origin, since so many years have passed sinee the 

 graft was made, i Instructed and translated from the German \>\j W. Fischer.) 

 "The tree (in the Botanic Gardens in Christiania) from which these fruits 

 were obtained stands In the vicinity of several varieties. Cross-fertilization 

 is thus nol excluded." I Wille.) 



21548. Dendro< hlamus btrk rus. Bamboo. 



From Slbpnr, Calcutta, India. Presented by Mr. A. T. Gage, superin- 

 tendent, Royal Botanic Garden, through Mr. David Fairchild. Received 

 Movei r 11, L907. 



"A very useful and Btrong baml f India, formerly used universally for 



Bpear staffs. The plant Rowers frequently and does nol die «b >w n after flower 



in;:, as is the case with so many baml b. The culms are said sometimes to 



reach a helghl of 100 feel in the valleys and 10 feel on the bills." {From 

 Colonel Uunro's Monograph of the Bambusaccae.) 



"This bamboo Is common In part- of the province of Punjab, India, where 

 the climate Is very dry In summer and quite cool In winter, the temperature 

 occasionally falling below freezing." [Fairchild.) 



21551. Citrus nobilis. Mandarin. 



From Pretoria, Transvaal. Presented by Prof. J. Burti Davy, botanist, 

 Transvaal Department of 'Agriculture. Received November 18, 1907. 



■ Vaartje. This is a kind of mandarin which t y mind has a much better 



flavor than ti rdinary tangerine of the Mediterranean; the fruit is larger 



and the skin can be removed quite as easily, I am under the impression that 

 it comes fairly true to Beed, i-iit even If this should prove nol to be the ease, you 

 may And the stocks of some use and the drought and frost resistance of the 

 plant may render it useful for hybridizing or grafting purposes." (Davy.) 



"The naartje has been produced In Cape Colony for the last two hundred 



years or more, it Is difficult to say whence it ea rlginally, but re than 



likely from the Dutch Bast Indies, I do nol know of any orange under cul- 

 tivation either In Florida or California which is ti xacl counterpart to the 



fruit u blch W •■ grow here. 



•• \\'o have Introduced most of the varieties grown in America, and up to the 

 present time none of them, with the exception of Satsuma, have shown the 



same hardiness and drought-resisting qualities as Hi 'iginal varieties in 



< 'ape • Jolony. 



"With regard to their resistanl powers against frost. I have seen old trees 



which have st l 15 degrees of frost with very little injury either to the tree 



or to the crop, and I consider for our purposes that they are the best fruits of 

 the kind which we can grow in this colony. The trees as seedlings attain 

 large sizes— from 16 to I s . aud sometimes L!(). feet— and they hear a striking 

 resemblance to an ordinary seedling orange in growth. The two varieties are 

 named locally the Platskill and Groenskil. The meaning of the first word is 



'Mat or sn tli skin.' and it appears also to apply to the shape of the fruit. 



The skin of this variety adheres closely to the segments, and there.is never any 



of the puffiness whirl, ace panies so many varieties of mandarins: although 



so closely adhering, it can I asily removed with the thumb and finger, but 



it is not exactly what one would call a ' kid-glove ' orange. 



"The word Groenskil means green skin, and the fruit of this variety bears 

 more resemblance to the Emperor mandarin perhaps than to most others. It 

 hangs for a long time on the trees in good condition and is the latest ripening 

 variety we have. It is also more hardy than the Platskill." (Ii. A. David, 

 Transvaal Department of Agriculture.) 



21552 to 21557. Dahlia spp. Dahlia. 



From Mexico City, Mexico. Collected by Prof. C. G. Pringle on Sierra de 

 Ajusco, a mountain on the south side of the Valley of Mexico, at an alti- 

 tude of 8,500 feet, by request of Mr. David Fairchild. Received Novem- 

 ber 16 and 19, 1907. 



Seeds and plants secured for hybridizing pur 

 132 



