UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



INVENTORY No. 85 



Washington, D. C. ▼ Issued July, 1928 



PLANT MATERIAL INTRODUCED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN PLANT 

 INTRODUCTION, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, FROM OCTOBER 1 TO 

 DECEMBER 31, 1925 (NOS. 65048 TO 65707) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introductory statement 1 



Inventory.. 3 



Index of common and scientific names 30 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 



The outstanding feature of this inventory is the large proportion of introduc- 

 tions from P. H. Dorsett, agricultural explorer, who continued his work in 

 Manchuria. The importance of this region for agricultural exploration was 

 discussed in the introductory statement to Inventory No. 84. 



The nature of the plant material obtained by Mr. Dorsett was quite general 

 and included everything of economic value available at a given place and time. 

 The products of the native markets were carefully scrutinized and propagating 

 material collected of any fruits or vegetables which appeared to be superior in 

 any way to varieties now grown in the United States. Many wild plants also 

 were collected, including such as might be of ornamental value or useful as 

 forage. Transportation to various parts of the country was greatly facilitated 

 through the courtesy of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and the cooperation of 

 the Alanchurian Research Society made it possible to procure selected types of 

 cereals and forage plants from their experiment stations. 



J. F. Rock, working under the direction of the Arnold Arboretum and as a 

 collaborator of this office, continued his botanical exploration of the Province of 

 Kansu, western China, collecting a number of interesting woody plants. These 

 include several hardy ornamental spruces (Picea spp., Nos. 65689 to 65692) 

 which appear to be new to horticulture. 



A collection of tubers of wild potatoes (Solanum spp., Nos. 65444 to 65449), 

 presented by Elbert Reed of the Instituto Agricola Bunster, Angol, Chile, will 

 be of special interest to potato breeders. These tubers were collected on the 

 island of Chiloe and on the mainland of Chile north of this island, part of the 

 region considered by many horticulturists to be the original home of the potato. 



A collection of local varieties of the kaki (Diospyros kaki, Nos. 65578 to 65583) 

 was sent in by F. A. McClure, agricultural explorer, from Honam Island, a few 

 miles east of Canton, China. With this bud wood Mr. McClure transmitted 

 detailed notes on the character and uses of the fruits of these varieties. 



Aleurites trisperma (No. 65297), a Philippine relative of the Chinese tung-oil 

 tree (Aleurites fordii), is the source of bagilumbang oil, similar in composition to 

 tung oil, but somewhat lighter in color. The tree is tropical in its requirements, 

 but may succeed in southern Florida. The precise value of the oil in the paint 

 and varnish industries has yet to be determined, but this Philippine species should 

 be included in tropical experiments with this group of oil-producing trees. 



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