﻿B. 
  P. 
  I.— 
  680. 
  

  

  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED 
  DURING 
  THE 
  

   PERIOD 
  FROM 
  JULY 
  1 
  TO 
  SEPTEMBER 
  30, 
  1910: 
  

   INVENTORY 
  NO. 
  24; 
  NOS. 
  28325 
  TO 
  28880. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTORY 
  STATEMENT. 
  

  

  No 
  satisfactory 
  test 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  plant 
  to 
  determine 
  its 
  

   economic 
  value 
  until 
  many 
  months, 
  or 
  even 
  years, 
  have 
  passed 
  

   since 
  its 
  introduction. 
  To 
  emphasize 
  those 
  included 
  in 
  this 
  inven- 
  

   tory 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  tested 
  may 
  therefore 
  appear 
  somewhat 
  prema- 
  

   ture, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  warranted 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  printed 
  

   descriptions 
  new 
  plants 
  which 
  arrive 
  may 
  seem 
  much 
  alike 
  and 
  equally 
  

   interesting, 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  see 
  all 
  the 
  correspondence 
  which 
  has 
  led 
  up 
  

   to 
  their 
  introduction 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  arrivals 
  stand 
  out 
  as 
  of 
  special 
  

   promise. 
  

  

  Those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  cover-crop 
  problem 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  orange 
  

   growers 
  will 
  notice 
  the 
  importation 
  of 
  a 
  half 
  ton 
  of 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  Pales- 
  

   tine 
  kirsenneh 
  (Vicia 
  ervilia, 
  No. 
  28761) 
  and 
  500 
  pounds 
  of 
  seed 
  of 
  

   another 
  Palestine 
  legume 
  (LatJiyrus 
  sativus, 
  No. 
  28762), 
  and 
  will 
  

   note 
  also 
  the 
  opinion 
  expressed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Aaron 
  Aaronsohn 
  that 
  the 
  

   Lathyrus 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  quicker 
  growth 
  in 
  the 
  California 
  orange 
  or- 
  

   chards 
  than 
  Vicia 
  ervilia 
  and 
  will 
  have 
  an 
  advantage 
  over 
  the 
  fenu- 
  

   greek 
  that 
  is 
  now 
  used 
  there 
  in 
  that 
  seed 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  cheaper. 
  

  

  The 
  unusual 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  mango 
  in 
  Florida, 
  Porto 
  Eico, 
  and 
  

   Hawaii 
  has 
  made 
  it 
  desirable 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  best 
  East 
  Indian 
  varieties 
  as 
  

   rapidly 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  collection, 
  which 
  now 
  numbers 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  hundred 
  sorts. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  early 
  and 
  others 
  late 
  ripen- 
  

   ing 
  sorts; 
  others 
  have 
  unusual 
  keeping 
  qualities; 
  while 
  still 
  others 
  are 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  seeds 
  imported 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  originating 
  new 
  

   varieties. 
  As 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Walter 
  T. 
  Swingle 
  in 
  his 
  citrus 
  

   work, 
  seeds 
  like 
  the 
  mango, 
  which 
  are 
  polyembryonic, 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   give 
  rise 
  through 
  the 
  unfertilized 
  embryos 
  to 
  strains 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  

   variety, 
  which 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  increased 
  vigor 
  and 
  produc- 
  

   tiveness. 
  

  

  So 
  much 
  interest 
  has 
  been 
  aroused 
  in 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  the 
  oriental 
  

   persimmon 
  through 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  Tamopan 
  variety 
  and 
  

   the 
  perfection 
  by 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  C. 
  Gore, 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Chemistry, 
  of 
  new 
  

   methods 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  tannin 
  can 
  be 
  rendered 
  insoluble 
  in 
  a 
  practical 
  

   way 
  and 
  the 
  fruit 
  hold 
  its 
  firm 
  texture 
  that 
  a 
  special 
  search 
  is 
  being 
  

  

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