6 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



The growing interest in hardy so-called English walnuts wiU 

 create a demand for the Changli walnut (No. 36082) , found recently 

 by Mr. Meyer near the Great Wall of China, which will probably prove 

 hardier than any of the varieties from southern Europe; and his 

 chestnut species, identified as Castanea mollissima (No. 35891), from 

 San Tun Ying, even though a low-branching open-headed species of 

 no value for timber, can not fail to attract attention as an orchard 

 tree because of its greater resistance to the chestnut bark disease, 

 which is destroying the American chestnut, and its excellent nuts, 

 for which it is cultivated in China. 



The pistache-nut tree has begun to be grown in California, and 

 bearing specimens are already interesting the California horticul- 

 turists. The introduction of the Kaka tree of India, Pistada integer- 

 rima (No. 36065), a close relative of it, for trial as a stock for com- 

 mercial varieties of the pistache will be of interest to a. widening 

 circle of cultivators. 



Throughout historic times the olive has been grown on its own 

 roots. In California it fruits abundantly, but in Florida and Texas, 

 although growing luxuriantly, it refuses to produce more than a few 

 scattering fruits. The introduction of the South African wild olive, 

 Olea verrucosa (No. 36059), on which the cultivated olive has already 

 been successfully grafted, makes it desirable to try the olive on this 

 wild stock in moist southern regions. 



The introduction of a quantity of the nuts of the Nipa palm, Nypa 

 fruticans (No. 36058), from the Philippines, should call attention to 

 what appears to be a remarkable sugar and alcohol producing ciop for 

 tidal tropical swamp lands, where little that is profitable is now grown. 

 The vast areas of this land and the many uses of this palm make it 

 worthy of the serious attention of tropical agriculturists. 



Whether the Nikau palm, Areca sapida (No. 35888), which in the 

 forests of New Zealand is said to withstand the forest fires, will prove 

 adapted to conditions in southern Florida and spread over the ham- 

 mocks is a question worth determining. 



The success of our previous introduction of the remarkable white- 

 barked pine of China, Pinus hungeana (No. 35916), has led to its re- 

 introduction. Although it may be 50 years before the trees will show 

 their white-barked character, they are long-lived trees, growing to a 

 great size, and a place should be found for them in our landscape 

 gardening. 



The Siberian larch, Larix sihirica, one of the most rapid growing of 

 all the conifers, is proving to be adapted climatically to the Canadian 

 Northwest, and American foresters are abeady experimenting with it. 

 A strain from the southern Ural Mountains (No. 36163) will doubtless 

 be of interest to them. 



