﻿OCTOBER 
  1 
  TO 
  DECEMBER 
  31, 
  1909. 
  29 
  

  

  26238 
  to 
  26240— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  26238— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  better 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  kinds, 
  and 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  being 
  a 
  good 
  cropper, 
  

   it 
  is 
  very 
  ornamental 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  with 
  good 
  effect 
  for 
  covering 
  wild 
  rockery 
  

   and 
  rough 
  banks.' 
  " 
  {Swingle.) 
  

  

  26239. 
  Raspberry. 
  

   November 
  Abundance. 
  "This 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  produce 
  'a 
  good 
  supply 
  of 
  fruit 
  during 
  

  

  September 
  and 
  onwards.' 
  " 
  {Swingle.) 
  

  

  26240. 
  Raspberry. 
  

   Superlative. 
  "Said 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  dessert 
  berry, 
  of 
  red 
  color, 
  large 
  size, 
  and 
  

  

  of 
  excellent 
  flavor, 
  readily 
  picked 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  long 
  stalks." 
  {Sivingle.) 
  

  

  26241. 
  Brassica 
  oleracea 
  capitata 
  L. 
  Cabbage. 
  

  

  From 
  Dalny, 
  Manchuria. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  A. 
  Williamson, 
  vice-consul 
  in 
  

   charge. 
  Received 
  November 
  15, 
  1909. 
  

   "The 
  Manchurian 
  cabbage 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  articles 
  of 
  diet 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  

   these 
  regions. 
  It 
  is 
  particularly 
  tender, 
  succulent, 
  and 
  well 
  flavored. 
  These 
  are 
  a 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  seeds, 
  which 
  only 
  ripen 
  in 
  the 
  spring." 
  {Williamson.) 
  

  

  26242. 
  Quercus 
  aegilops 
  L. 
  Oak. 
  

  

  From 
  Patras, 
  Greece. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Hon. 
  F. 
  B. 
  Wood, 
  British 
  consul. 
  Received 
  

   November 
  16, 
  1909. 
  

  

  Valonia. 
  "The 
  valonia 
  oak 
  derives 
  its 
  name 
  from 
  a 
  Greek 
  word 
  signifying 
  acorn. 
  

   The 
  valonia 
  produces 
  fully 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  oak. 
  The 
  

   term 
  'valonia' 
  used 
  commercially 
  does 
  not 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  acorn 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  cup 
  which 
  

   contains 
  it, 
  which 
  when 
  ground 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  tanning 
  purposes. 
  The 
  cup 
  is 
  a 
  bright 
  

   drab 
  color, 
  which 
  it 
  preserves 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  kept 
  dry; 
  any 
  dampness 
  injures 
  it, 
  as 
  

   it 
  then 
  turns 
  black 
  and 
  loses 
  both 
  its 
  strength 
  and 
  value. 
  The 
  more 
  substance 
  or 
  

   thickness 
  there 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  husk 
  or 
  cup 
  the 
  better 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  commercial 
  purposes. 
  

  

  "Valonia 
  without 
  the 
  acorn 
  (which 
  is 
  only 
  of 
  use 
  for 
  feeding 
  swine, 
  etc.) 
  is 
  worth 
  

   about 
  £8 
  to<£10 
  per 
  ton, 
  but 
  the 
  finer 
  quality 
  sometimes 
  fetches 
  £2 
  or<£3 
  more. 
  In 
  

   former 
  years 
  the 
  article 
  was 
  worth 
  double 
  the 
  above 
  figures, 
  but 
  chemical 
  and 
  other 
  

   substitutes 
  used 
  for 
  tanning 
  purposes 
  have 
  brought 
  its 
  value 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  which 
  

   scarcely 
  covers 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  picking 
  and 
  getting 
  ready 
  for 
  shipment. 
  

  

  "The 
  valonia 
  oak 
  flourishes 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  in 
  the 
  Levant; 
  Greece, 
  several 
  

   islands 
  in 
  the 
  Aegean 
  Sea, 
  Crete, 
  and 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  are 
  its 
  favorite 
  localities. 
  There 
  it 
  

   thrives 
  in 
  great 
  profusion 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  variety 
  of 
  soil 
  and 
  climate, 
  being 
  affected 
  by 
  

   neither 
  severe 
  heat 
  nor 
  great 
  cold. 
  In 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Elis 
  in 
  soft, 
  heavy, 
  rich 
  soil 
  the 
  

   valonia 
  displays 
  all 
  its 
  beauties, 
  and 
  in 
  perfect 
  similarity 
  to 
  its 
  congener 
  growing 
  on 
  

   the 
  barren 
  and 
  stony 
  mountains 
  of 
  Acarnania 
  and 
  Laconia. 
  

  

  "The 
  tree 
  is 
  very 
  beautiful 
  with 
  its 
  great 
  outspreading 
  branches 
  and 
  delicate 
  foliage; 
  

   it 
  reaches 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  60 
  feet 
  and 
  a 
  girth 
  of 
  15 
  feet 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  feet 
  from 
  

   the 
  soil. 
  In 
  appearance 
  it 
  resembles 
  the 
  ordinary 
  oak 
  and 
  has 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  latter's 
  

   characteristics, 
  forming 
  occasionally 
  great 
  distorted 
  boles. 
  It 
  produces 
  the 
  oak 
  

   apple, 
  and 
  the 
  mistletoe 
  grows 
  on 
  it 
  plentifully. 
  

  

  "The 
  valonia 
  tree 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  called 
  deciduous, 
  for 
  although 
  the 
  leaves 
  attain 
  

   a 
  withered 
  and 
  brownish 
  look 
  in 
  winter, 
  only 
  a 
  certain 
  proportion 
  are 
  cast 
  before 
  

   the 
  fresh 
  shoots 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  spring. 
  

  

  "The 
  finest 
  valonia 
  forest 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Achaia, 
  between 
  

   Patras 
  and 
  Pyrgos. 
  In 
  length 
  it 
  measures 
  some 
  10 
  miles 
  and 
  in 
  breadth 
  about 
  4 
  

   or 
  5. 
  The 
  trees 
  in 
  most 
  instances 
  must 
  be 
  several 
  centuries 
  old. 
  

  

  "The 
  manner 
  of 
  collecting 
  valonia 
  brings 
  one 
  back 
  almost 
  to 
  patriarchal 
  days. 
  

   The 
  Greek 
  peasantry 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  nomadic. 
  In 
  the 
  

   205 
  

  

  