﻿58 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



45560 to 45564— Continued. 



" The crop ripened at the end of 1917 was a very large one, in- 

 dicating that the productiveness of the variety is likely to prove 

 satisfactory. The flowering season appears to be December and Janu- 

 ary, the fruiting season November to March. 



" The fruit is round, weighs about 9 ounces, and is deep purple when 

 fully ripe. The skin is thick and woody. The flesh is yellow. The 

 seed is rather small for a round fruit, and is tight in the cavity. 



" Following is a formal description of the variety : 



" Form spherical or nearly so, usually slightly oblique ; size below 

 medium, weight averaging 9 ounces, length 3£ inches, greatest breadth 

 3f inches ; base slightly flattened, the stem inserted somewhat obliquely 

 without depression; apex obliquely flattened, but not prominently so; 

 surface practically smooth, deep dull purple in color when fully ripe, 

 with scattering large yellowish dots ; skin thick, sometimes more than 

 one-eighth of an inch, very coarsely granular, hard and woody, rather 

 unusually so ; flesh rich cream yellow in color, with a few fine and 

 almost unobjectionable fibers running through it, flavor rich and nutty ; 

 quality good ; seed medium sized, averaging about 1$ ounces in weight, 

 oblate in form, tight in the cavity, with both seed coats adhering 

 closely to the smooth cotyledons." 



45565 to 45567. 



From Paris, France. Presented by Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co. Received 

 November 30, 1917. 



45565. Avena sativa L. Poacese. Oats. 



11 Hydride noir tres lidtive [very early black hybrid]. This variety 

 was obtained about 10 years ago at the experimental farm at Verrieres 

 by crossing the Australia and Joanette varieties. It has been carefully 

 selected and has proved itself to be a well-fixed variety which is vigorous, 

 tillers well, and attains a height of 4 to 5 feet, according to cultural 

 conditions. The panicle is well filled and perfectly continuous, and the 

 spikelets contain two and often three beautiful, black, full, faintly awned 

 grains. 



" In our comparative studies this variety has constantly ripened 8 or 

 10 days in advance of the earliest, established varieties, giving a greater 

 yield. Sown the first of March it heads early in June, and ripens about 

 the 20th of July. In brief, it is highly profitable, uniting the best quali- 

 ties — extreme earliness, abundant production, and resistance to rust and 

 to shattering." (Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co.) 



45566 and 45567. Triticum aestivum L. Poacese. Wheat. 



(T. vulgare Vill.) 



45566. il Aurore. The earliest and most productive of spring wheats. 



May be sown up to the 15th or 25th of March. The spike is pale 



reddish, and the grain is large and reddish." (Vilmorin-Andrieux 



& Co.) 



45567. " Hybride des Allies" This is a variety of wheat which was 



being planted in France to help relieve the food situation during 



the war. The following is an extract from a letter sent to the 



United States Department of Agriculture by M. Louis de Vilmorin : 



" We have been trying to help the farmers on this side with our 



new wheat 'BW des Allies' which is on its way to prove itself a 



