﻿B. 
  P. 
  I.— 
  705. 
  

  

  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED 
  DURING 
  THE 
  

   PERIOD 
  FROM 
  JANUARY 
  1 
  TO 
  MARCH 
  31, 
  1911: 
  

   INVENTORY 
  NO. 
  26 
  ; 
  NOS. 
  29328 
  TO 
  30461. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTORY 
  STATEMENT. 
  

  

  Following 
  a 
  custom 
  established 
  in 
  1898, 
  we 
  have 
  gone 
  through 
  this 
  

   inventory 
  of 
  1,134 
  introductions 
  and 
  singled 
  out 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   interest 
  in 
  an 
  unusual 
  way 
  the 
  plant 
  experimenters 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   This 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  mean 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  have 
  been 
  

   included, 
  for 
  experience 
  has 
  often 
  demonstrated 
  in 
  this 
  plant-intro- 
  

   duction 
  work 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  the 
  Biblical 
  saying, 
  "The 
  stone 
  which 
  the 
  

   builders 
  rejected 
  is 
  become 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  corner." 
  

  

  Western 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan 
  is 
  a 
  land 
  of 
  oases 
  and 
  deserts. 
  It 
  is 
  acces- 
  

   sible 
  only 
  to 
  caravans 
  which 
  follow 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  well-defined 
  trails 
  

   across 
  it, 
  and 
  this 
  fact 
  alone 
  would 
  make 
  any 
  plants 
  coming 
  from 
  it 
  of 
  

   peculiar 
  interest. 
  When 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  by 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  

   such 
  a 
  wide 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  our 
  own 
  arid 
  and 
  irrigated 
  regions 
  as 
  

   has 
  our 
  explorer, 
  Mr. 
  Frank 
  N. 
  Meyer, 
  they 
  become 
  of 
  unusual 
  value. 
  

   His 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan 
  collection 
  in 
  this 
  inventory 
  (Nos. 
  30042 
  to 
  

   30060, 
  30141 
  to 
  30153, 
  30308 
  to 
  30364, 
  and 
  30393 
  to 
  30415) 
  includes 
  

   a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  promising 
  table-grape 
  varieties; 
  two 
  extremely 
  

   alkali-resistant 
  species 
  of 
  Tamarix; 
  a 
  remarkable 
  collection 
  of 
  poplars, 
  

   among 
  them 
  the 
  desert 
  poplar 
  (Populus 
  eupJiratica, 
  No. 
  30054), 
  which 
  

   should 
  be 
  adapted 
  to 
  our 
  western 
  plains; 
  the 
  Karagatch 
  elm 
  (No. 
  

   30060) 
  from 
  the 
  oases 
  of 
  Sandju; 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  interesting 
  willows; 
  a 
  

   large 
  collection 
  of 
  sweet-kerneled 
  and 
  bitter-kerneled 
  apricots, 
  

   remarkable 
  for 
  their 
  resistance 
  to 
  cold 
  and 
  alkali 
  ; 
  several 
  new 
  forms, 
  

   among 
  them 
  a 
  white 
  variety, 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  plum-cherry 
  (Prunus 
  

   tomentosa) 
  , 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  thinks 
  is 
  deserving 
  of 
  consideration 
  as 
  

   a 
  dry-land 
  fruit; 
  the 
  celebrated 
  Kutcha 
  pear, 
  a 
  fine 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  species 
  (Pyrus 
  chinensis) 
  ; 
  several 
  noteworthy 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   peaches, 
  nectarines, 
  prunes, 
  plums, 
  apples, 
  and 
  oriental 
  pears; 
  a 
  

   yellow-flowered 
  alfalfa 
  grown 
  near 
  Pustan 
  Terek 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  7,000 
  

   feet; 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  watermelons 
  and 
  muskmelons 
  of 
  the 
  region; 
  

   and 
  a 
  large-fruited 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  extremely 
  drought 
  and 
  cold 
  resistant 
  

   oleaster, 
  which 
  plant 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  specially 
  suited 
  to 
  our 
  

   Great 
  Plains 
  area. 
  

  

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