UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



INVENTORY No. 81 



Washington, D. C. T Issued April, 1927 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN PUNT IN- 

 TRODUCTION, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, DURING THE PERIOD FROM 

 OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1924 (S. P. I. NOS. 61738 TO 62230) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introductory statement 1 



Inventory 3 



Index of common and scientific names 27 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 



In July, 1924, P. H. Dorsett, of the Office of Foreign Plant Introduction, 

 and his son, J.-H. Dorsett, were detailed for agricultural exploration work in 

 northern China. Shipments of plant material which they collected began to 

 arrive in Washington in October, 1924, the greater part coming from the 

 vicinity of Peking, in the Province of Chihli. The lists of the Dorsetts' col- 

 lections in northern China take up a conspicuous part of this inventory and 

 include both seeds and scions of a large number of fruits, such as peaches, 

 pears, apples, persimmons, apricots, grapes, and quinces, also walnuts, chest- 

 nuts, hazelnuts, various vegetables, and a number of woody and herbaceous 

 ornamentals. 



The collection of varieties of Diospyros kaki (Nos. 61837 to 61842) obtained 

 by Mr. Dorsett in the vicinity of Peking, China, may include valuable addi- 

 tions to the list of excellent varieties previously introduced and now in the 

 trade in this country, such as the nonastringent Fuyu (S. P. I. No. 26491) and 

 the Tamopan (S. P. I. No. 16921), an excellent keeper. 



While on his way to carry on agricultural explorations in the East Indies, 

 David Fairchild of this office spent several days at the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Kew, England, and also at Aldenham House, the estate of Hon. Vicary Gibbs, at 

 Elstree, Herts, England. At the Royal Botanic Gardens Doctor Fairchild pro- 

 cured seeds of the dove tree (Davidia involucrata vilmoriniana, No. 62022). 

 This is a handsome Chinese relative of the dogwood, and only one specimen is 

 known to be in cultivation in this country. At Aldeuham House there has been 

 gathered together a remarkable collection of hardy rare trees and shrubs, 

 mostly from eastern Asia, and seeds of a number of these were obtained by 

 Doctor Fairchild (Nos. 61972 to 61996 )\ 



In the preceding inventory (No. 80) mention was made of the agricultural 

 explorations being conducted in Argentina and Chile by H. L. Westover, of 

 the Office of Forage Crops. During this period Mr. Westover was still abroad, 

 and he sent in not only a number of local strains of alfalfa but also seeds of a 

 number of native forage plants and grasses (Nos. 62060 to 62073, 62075 to 

 62092). 



Of similar interest to Mr. Westover's shipments is a large collection of 

 grasses, mostly native to southern South America, presented by the Federaci6n 

 Rural, Montevideo. Uruguay (Nos. 62031 to 62059). These grasses will 

 16114—27 1 t 



