JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1925 



25 



62677 to 62691— Continued. 



shades are extremely pretty, others a bit 

 pallid. It should be easy through selec- 

 tion to develop a strain producing noth- 

 ing but bright-pink flowers. The _ plant 

 seems to be a perennial in this climate, 

 but I suspect it will stand no frost. 



62683 to 62687. Persea Americana Mill. 



(P. gratis sima Gaertn. f.). Lauraceae. 



Avocado. 



The avocados of the Chota Valley are 

 an interesting group. The majority of 

 them belong to the Mexican race, but 

 quite a few are obviously of the lowland 

 type which we call West Indian. Some 

 of the trees seem almost intermediate in 

 character between these two races, which 

 leads to the belief that they may be of 

 hybrid origin. The Mexican varieties of 

 the Chota Valley are a superior lot, per- 

 haps the flu est which we have found dur- 

 ing our explorations in tropical America. 



The five varieties originally introduced 

 in 1921. plus the five now obtained, give 

 us a collection comprising some of the 

 best forms grown in the Chota Valley. 



62683. No. 688. Hacienda Carpuela. 

 Avocado No. 1. This avocado is an 

 oblong, light-green fruit, weighing 

 about 12 ounces. It is probably not 

 a Mexican ; it may be a cross be- 

 tween this race and the West In- 

 dian : the characteristics of the fruit 

 suggest this possibility. Since I was 

 unable to see a mature specimen, I 

 can not report upon the quality of 

 the fruit, though I am assured by 

 the owner of the tree that it is ex- 

 cellent. The seed cavity is large 

 and the seed loose within. The 

 foliage has no odor of anise when 

 crushed. 



62684. No. 689. Hacienda Carpuela. 

 Avocado No. 2. This is a pear- 

 shaped fruit with a distinct neck, 

 pointed where it joins the stem. The 

 weight is about 12 ounces : the color 

 dull yellowish green. Since the 

 leaves are distinctly anise scented, 

 it seems probable that the variety 

 belongs to the Mexican race. The 

 seed is moderately large and tight in 

 the cavity. I was unable to examine 

 a mature specimen, hence I can not 

 vouch for the quality of the flesh. 



No. 690. Hacienda Challhua. 

 Avocado No. 3. This avocado is 

 said by the owner of the hacienda to 

 produce fruits of a large size and 

 excellent quality, but I was unable 

 to see mature specimens and am 

 not able to vouch for this person- 

 ally. The foliage is not anise 

 scented, hence I suspect the variety 

 to be of the West Indian race, 

 though it may be a cross between 

 this and the Mexican. The fruit is 

 pyriform, rather slender, broadly 

 necked : maroon-purple ; the weight 

 uncertain, perhaps 1 pound in well- 

 developed specimens. The skin is 

 rather thick, but not so much so as 

 in many varieties of the West In- 

 dian race. The flesh is a rich yel- 

 low ; the seed is large and tight in 

 the cavity. 



No. 691. The Huerta de los 

 Dolores. Avocado No. 4. This and 

 the following variety come from an 

 orchard which has an interesting 

 history. Over a hundred years ago 

 the owner of the grove died, leav- 

 ing: the property to the Virgin of 

 Dolores. The Bishop of Ibarra was 

 named administrator. 



62677 to 62691 — Continued. 



Some of the trees on this prop- 

 erty are extremely old ; I suspect, in 

 fact, that they may have been 

 planted by the Spanish monks who 

 originally owned the haciendas of 

 the Chota Valley. It is not unlikely 

 that certain of these trees date from 

 the eighteenth century. The largest 

 have trunks 8 to 10 feet thick. 



The avocado represented by this 

 number is undoubtedly of the Mexi- 

 can race. The fruit is broadly pyri- 

 form ; green skinned, and weighs 

 about 8 ounces ; the seed is of me- 

 dium size and tight in the cavity. 

 The flesh is rich yellow and of excel- 

 lent quality. 



62687. No. 692. The Huerta de los 

 Dolores. Avocado No. 5. This avo- 

 cado, having the same interesting 

 history as No. 691 [S. P. I. No. 

 62686], is not a true Mexican, since 

 the leaves are not strongly anise 

 scented. Most probably it is a cross 

 between this race and the West In- 

 dian. The fruit is oblong-ovoid, about 

 12 ounces in weight, and maroon- 

 purple ; the seed is rather large and 

 loose in the cavity ; the skin is thick 

 for a Mexican, thin for a West In- 

 dian : the flesh is creamy yellow and 

 is said to be of excellent flavor. 



62688. Psunus serotina Ehrh. Amygda- 

 laceae. Capulin. 



No. 706. Ambato, Ecuador. Seeds of 

 a large-fruited capulin obtained in the 

 market. For a description of the 

 capulin, see S. P. I. No. 52597 and the 

 Journal of Heredity for February, 1922. 



and 62690. Rubus glaucus Benth. 

 Rosaceae. Andes raspberry. 



62689. No. 699. Ibarra, Ecuador. 

 Plants of a rare albino, or white- 

 fruited, form of the Andes rasp 

 berry. It was discovered by Jose" 

 Felix Tamayo and brought by him 

 to the Hacienda la Victoria in 

 Ibarra, where it is now growing 

 vigorously. 



The typical form of the Andes 

 raspberry has maroon-colored fruits. 

 They will be found described in the 

 inventories under S. P. I. Nos. 55788 

 and 62014, and in the Journal of 

 Heredity, vol. 12, No. 9, November, 

 1921. According to Senor Tamayo, 

 the albino form yields fruits of ex- 

 cellent quality, differing from those 

 of the typical Rubus glaucus only 

 in color. 



No. 708. Ambato, Ecuador. 



Seeds of the typical form of this 



excellent berry obtained from fruits 



purchased in the market. 



For previous introduction, see S. 



P. I. No. 52717. 

 62691. Solanum medians Bitter. 



No. 681. Lima, Peru. Tubers pre- 

 sented by Prof. Julio Gaudron. Jardin 

 Botanico de la Escuela Nacional de Agri- 

 cultura. This is a potatolike species 

 brought into the Botanic Garden of the 

 School of Agriculture some years ago by 

 Nicolas Esposto. It occurs Wild on the 

 coast of Peru, and Professor Gaudron be- 

 lieves it may prove of interest in con- 

 nection with potato-breeding experiments, 

 since it is exceedingly productive of 

 tubers which are smaller than potatoes, 

 being commonly 1 or 2 inches in length 

 and not more than an inch in diameter. 

 They have white, crisp flesh of very firm 

 texture, but are not considered good to 

 eat. 



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