SEPTEMBER, 1900, TO DECEMBER, 1903. 9 



Laboratory at Miami, Fla. , visited for this Office in 1003 several islands 

 in the West Indies in search of varieties of cassava and other suitable 

 agricultural plants for southern Florida. Mr. G. Onderdonk, of 

 Nursery, Tex. , a specialist on stone fruits, made a trip to Mexico for 

 this Office in search of varieties of this class of fruits for the Southern 

 States. 



In addition to the seeds and plants which these various exploring 

 trips have brought in, the Office is indebted to correspondents all over 

 the world for numerous interesting things which have been presented 

 to it and for which credit is given in each separate instance under the 

 various numbers. 



It is desired to urge strongly in this introductory statement that the 

 numbers which accompany these seeds and plants when they are sent 

 out should be carefully preserved by those who receive them. By 

 means of these inventory numbers the seeds and plants can always be 

 identified. The machinery of the Office is so arranged that a perma- 

 nent record is kept on file of all seeds and plants sent out, and the 

 addresses of the experimenters to whom they are sent. This feature 

 is considered essential, and unless carefully carried out there will be 

 nothing on record to prevent reintroductions of plants which have 

 proved by extensive trials, to be unworthy of a place ,in American 

 agriculture, and much annoyance and delay will be caused in the han- 

 dling of those things which are successful. 



While it is one of the aims of plant introduction to encourage those 

 who can afford it to try new plants, such an object would not be gained 

 by any attempt to supply those who — misguided, perhaps, by exag- 

 gerated newspaper accounts — apply for seeds or plants which they are 

 not in a position to test successfully. All seeds are sent out with the 

 idea that those who receive them are willing to take the pains to reply 

 to queries from this Office regarding the success of their trial and to 

 supply on request reasonable quantities of seeds, scions, or plants pro- 

 duced from the imported material. A failure on the part of an experi- 

 menter to respond to repeated inquiries or his refusal to assist in giving 

 new introductions a wide distribution will affect unfavorably his stand- 

 ing in the list of capable experimenters which it is one of the objects 

 of this plant introduction work to create. 



David G. Fairchild, 



Agricultural Explorer. 



Washington, D. C. , April 18, 190^. 



