﻿JULY 
  1 
  TO 
  SEPTEMBEK 
  30, 
  1911. 
  9 
  

  

  baked 
  and 
  eaten 
  as 
  a 
  vegetable, 
  seems 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  spread 
  very 
  widely 
  

   through 
  the 
  Tropics. 
  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  cuttings 
  (No. 
  31378) 
  may 
  

   therefore 
  stimulate 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  this 
  tree, 
  which 
  has 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  

   tropical 
  romance 
  connected 
  with 
  it. 
  

  

  Ten 
  varieties 
  of 
  tropical 
  yams 
  (Dioscorea 
  spp., 
  Nos. 
  31914 
  to 
  

   31923) 
  from 
  Port 
  Moresby, 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  may 
  add 
  some 
  valuable 
  

   strains 
  to 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  West 
  Indian 
  forms; 
  two 
  interesting 
  

   mangos 
  from 
  Tahiti 
  (Nos. 
  31379 
  and 
  31380) 
  are 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  hundred 
  

   or 
  so 
  varieties 
  which 
  compose 
  the 
  Florida 
  collections. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Piper 
  calls 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  uses 
  of 
  the 
  Nipa 
  palm 
  as 
  a 
  plant 
  

   for 
  trial 
  hi 
  the 
  brackish 
  swamps 
  of 
  southern 
  Florida 
  (No. 
  31556) 
  and 
  

   reports 
  on 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  the 
  wampee 
  from 
  Canton, 
  China 
  

   (No. 
  31730), 
  which, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  commonest 
  fruits 
  of 
  South 
  

   China, 
  is 
  little 
  known 
  in 
  Florida 
  or 
  Porto 
  Rico. 
  The 
  cajuput 
  tree 
  of 
  

   New 
  South 
  Wales 
  (No. 
  31736) 
  has 
  made 
  a 
  remarkable 
  growth 
  on 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  Florida 
  and 
  promises 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  most 
  valuable 
  tree 
  for 
  that 
  

   region, 
  and 
  the 
  further 
  introduction 
  of 
  seed 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  

   those 
  who 
  are 
  studying 
  the 
  forest 
  problems 
  of 
  that 
  State. 
  

  

  The 
  lacquer 
  tree 
  of 
  China 
  and 
  Japan 
  is 
  a 
  relative 
  of 
  our 
  poison 
  ivy 
  

   and 
  is 
  quite 
  as 
  poisonous 
  to 
  some 
  people, 
  but 
  the 
  remarkable 
  charac- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  sap, 
  which 
  is 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  paint 
  oils 
  or 
  varnishes 
  in 
  

   use 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  makes 
  its 
  culture 
  worthy 
  of 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  

   chemists. 
  The 
  drying 
  process 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  simple 
  oxidation 
  phenomenon, 
  

   but 
  it 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  enzymes 
  upon 
  albuminoids 
  in 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  an 
  organic 
  acid, 
  and, 
  as 
  the 
  product, 
  lacquer, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  durable 
  and 
  perfect 
  wood 
  coatings 
  known, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  

   worth 
  while 
  to 
  find 
  ways 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  handled 
  by 
  painters. 
  

   The 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  crude 
  lacquer 
  and 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  lacquer 
  tree 
  

   (No. 
  31639) 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  interesting 
  the 
  paint 
  and 
  varnish 
  

   makers 
  of 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  extensive 
  employment 
  in 
  India 
  of 
  the 
  juice 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  tropi- 
  

   cal 
  persimmon, 
  when 
  mixed 
  with 
  charcoal, 
  as 
  a 
  coating 
  for 
  the 
  planks 
  

   of 
  boats 
  has 
  made 
  it 
  seem 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  add 
  this 
  species 
  to 
  our 
  

   collection 
  of 
  Diospyros 
  (No. 
  31488). 
  

  

  To 
  those 
  who 
  wish 
  to 
  test 
  new 
  forms 
  in 
  their 
  gardens, 
  the 
  narras 
  

   from 
  Walfisch 
  Bay, 
  a 
  dune-forming, 
  thorny 
  cucurbitaceous 
  plant 
  

   (No. 
  31401) 
  which 
  produces 
  fruits 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  Hottentots 
  live 
  

   and 
  thick 
  nutiike 
  seeds 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  South 
  Africa 
  as 
  a 
  substi- 
  

   tute 
  for 
  almonds, 
  will 
  perhaps 
  be 
  of 
  interest; 
  or 
  one 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Piper's 
  

   introductions 
  from 
  the 
  Philippines, 
  a 
  vine 
  with 
  beautiful 
  globose 
  

   smooth 
  red 
  fruits 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  an 
  orange 
  (No. 
  31588); 
  or 
  the 
  pacuri 
  

   of 
  Paraguay, 
  a 
  plant 
  as 
  frost 
  resistant 
  as 
  the 
  orange, 
  which 
  bears 
  

   edible 
  fruit 
  (No. 
  31872). 
  

  

  248 
  

  

  