﻿34 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  31651. 
  Citrus 
  medica 
  L. 
  Citron. 
  

  

  From 
  Villa 
  Rica, 
  Paraguay. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  F. 
  Mead, 
  Villa 
  Encarnacion, 
  

   Paraguay. 
  Received 
  August 
  18, 
  1911. 
  

   ' 
  ' 
  These 
  citrons 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  shipment 
  of 
  oranges, 
  etc 
  . 
  , 
  from 
  Villa 
  Rica. 
  Whether 
  

   they 
  are 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  or 
  not 
  I 
  can 
  not 
  say. 
  Largest 
  citron 
  weighed 
  4£ 
  pounds, 
  

   22 
  inches 
  in 
  circumference 
  the 
  long 
  way 
  by 
  13 
  inches 
  in 
  circumference 
  around 
  the 
  

   center. 
  When 
  conditions 
  are 
  excellent 
  for 
  growth, 
  fruits 
  up 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  are 
  

   not 
  uncommon. 
  The 
  plant 
  is 
  of 
  scraggly 
  growth, 
  the 
  branches 
  reaching 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground 
  if 
  not 
  pruned 
  and 
  sprouting 
  wherever 
  they 
  touch. 
  The 
  peel 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  here 
  for 
  preserves. 
  " 
  ( 
  Mead.) 
  

  

  31652 
  and 
  31653. 
  

  

  From 
  Pietermaritzburg, 
  Natal, 
  South 
  Africa. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  J. 
  Newberry, 
  

   curator, 
  Botanic 
  Gardens. 
  Received 
  August 
  18, 
  1911. 
  

   Cuttings 
  of 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  31652. 
  Prunussp. 
  Plum. 
  

   " 
  Methley. 
  This 
  originated 
  near 
  Mr. 
  Methley's 
  homestead, 
  the 
  original 
  tree 
  

  

  being 
  a 
  volunteer 
  and 
  growing 
  near 
  a 
  spruit 
  hard 
  by. 
  This 
  seedling, 
  to-day 
  the 
  

   parent 
  of 
  thousands 
  growing 
  throughout 
  the 
  colony, 
  attracted 
  attention 
  directly 
  

   it 
  first 
  fruited, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  earliness 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  plums 
  ripened; 
  that 
  is, 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  as 
  our 
  local 
  myrobalan 
  (myrobalan 
  is 
  used 
  throughout 
  as 
  a 
  

   group 
  name), 
  possibly 
  the 
  Marianna 
  and 
  frequently 
  but 
  erroneously 
  called 
  the 
  

   Mirabelle. 
  

  

  "The 
  virtue 
  of 
  the 
  Methley 
  is 
  its 
  early 
  ripening. 
  It 
  possesses 
  the 
  good 
  char- 
  

   acters 
  of 
  the 
  Satsuma, 
  but 
  is 
  deficient 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  size. 
  

  

  "There 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  plum 
  originated 
  from 
  the 
  fertilizing 
  

   of 
  Satsuma 
  flowers 
  by 
  myrobalan 
  pollen, 
  the 
  male 
  element 
  transmitting 
  the 
  

   smaller 
  size 
  and 
  earliness 
  of 
  ripening 
  and 
  not 
  impairing 
  with 
  myrobalan 
  faults 
  

   the 
  flavor 
  and 
  texture 
  of 
  the 
  Satsuma. 
  

  

  "From 
  inquiries 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  some 
  blood 
  plums 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Methley 
  

   from 
  another 
  farm 
  from 
  trees 
  growing 
  in 
  juxtaposition 
  to 
  myrobalans. 
  After 
  

   this 
  lot 
  of 
  fruit 
  had 
  been 
  partaken 
  of, 
  the 
  stones 
  were 
  thrown 
  out. 
  From 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  pits 
  washed 
  down 
  toward 
  the 
  sluit 
  by 
  the 
  weather 
  it 
  is 
  assumed 
  the 
  

   original 
  Methley 
  grew. 
  As 
  no 
  other 
  adventitious 
  plums 
  came 
  into 
  being, 
  it 
  is 
  

   rather 
  interesting 
  to 
  speculate 
  upon 
  this 
  one 
  survival, 
  which 
  may, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   have 
  been 
  the 
  only 
  cross-pollenized 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  lot. 
  

  

  "The 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  dark 
  red, 
  ripening 
  to 
  darker 
  red; 
  dots 
  numerous, 
  

   russet, 
  areolar; 
  bloom, 
  whitish 
  or 
  bluish; 
  flesh, 
  dark 
  red, 
  firm; 
  stone, 
  medium 
  in 
  

   size, 
  cling; 
  flavor 
  and 
  quality 
  good; 
  season 
  very 
  early; 
  thrives 
  on 
  peach 
  stock. 
  " 
  

   (Extract 
  from 
  C. 
  Fuller 
  in 
  Natal 
  Agricultural 
  Journal, 
  vol. 
  14, 
  1910, 
  pp. 
  279-280.) 
  

  

  31653. 
  Malus 
  sp. 
  Apple. 
  

   Wainwright. 
  "A 
  good 
  subtropical 
  apple. 
  " 
  (Newberry.) 
  

  

  31654. 
  Oxalis 
  sp. 
  

  

  From 
  Chile. 
  Received 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Jose 
  D. 
  Husbands, 
  Limavida, 
  Chile, 
  August 
  

  

  14, 
  1911. 
  

   "Chapeola." 
  

   Tubers. 
  

  

  248 
  

  

  