﻿JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1919. 7 



Mr. Cardinell, which represents varieties reported to grow wild in 

 Matto Grosso, can hardly fail to interest the corn breeders, as will 

 also the dwarf varieties (Nos. 47202 and 47327) sent by Mr. Wester 

 from Cotabato on the island of Mindanao, where this crop has been 

 grown for a long time by the wild tribes. 



The roselle as a source of brilliant-red jelly-making material is 

 a valuable plant, and Mr. Eraser's prolific variety (Hibiscus sabda- 

 riffa, No. 47119), which he has selected on Ramrod Key, Fla., will 

 interest those who are growing the common varieties. 



A named collection of 14 varieties of Japanese flowering cherry 

 trees from Yokohama (Prunus semdata, Nos. 47132-47145) includes 

 some of the loveliest of these superb early-flowering trees. It will be 

 recalled that the selected sorts arranged for by Mr. E. H. Wilson and 

 later by Mr. Frank N. Meyer from the famous Arakawa collection 

 near Tokyo were previously introduced. 



Mr. Zon, of the Forest Service, is inclined to recommend for trial 

 in Florida the 100-foot Tasmanian cypress pine (Callitris cupressi- 

 formis, No. 47151), which grows well on the coast on poor soils and 

 may prove useful in furnishing a comparatively soft light wood for 

 local use. 



I do not know that the Taranaki rimu (Dacrydium cupressinwn, 

 No. 47154) has been tried around Santa Barbara, Calif., but, if not, 

 its weeping- willow habit should make it worth trying there. 



The culture of certain drug plants has been commercially profit- 

 able, and Strophanthus gratus (No. 47217), which yields the crystal- 

 line strophanthin, may prove to be one of the valuable species for cul- 

 tivation. 



From the quantity of sweets and sweetened chewing gums which 

 many Americans use, it would seem as though their chief aim was 

 to keep their mouths sweet all the time. For such as these Mr. Kirby 

 has sent in from Nigeria seeds of a tropical tree (Synsepalum dulcifi- 

 cum, No. 47219) whose berries when eaten in considerable quantity 

 are said to make everything eaten thereafter, for a whole day, 

 whether vinegar, lime juice, or tartaric acid, taste as though it were 

 composed solely of saccharine matter. 



Various species of Vitex are hardy in America. Because they 

 bloom profusely and produce large quantities of nectar they have 

 been proposed as honey plants. A tropical species, Vitex grandifolia 

 (No. 47220) from Nigeria, growing at 1,000 feet altitude, and bear- 

 ing an edible plumlike fruit which is made into " a kind of honey," 

 will be of particular interest, and it is hoped that it will grow; in 

 southern Florida at least. 



It is not without a feeling of relief that I call attention to the 

 fact that a remarkable species of tree (Kol-ia drynarioides) has been 



