52 



SEEDS AXD PLANTS IMPORTED. 



36688 to 36715— Continued. 



At this time (October 10, 1913) 25 to 30 houses were seen, on the comb or ridge 

 of which were from 100 to 300 ears in the husk saved for seed. The ears were 

 tied together by plaited outside husks, one ear on one side of the ridge and one 

 on the other. In the trees the ears were tied in the same way and tlirown across 

 the limbs 15 to 20 feet from tlie ground. We saw the entire stalks fed to cattle, 

 on compost heaps. On a trip of 30 miles we saw fully 400 acres of corn. Mr. 

 Shamel says, ' This appears to be an almost perfect meal corn, equal to what 

 we have in the United States.' " 



36700. Annona muricata L. Soursop. 

 "(No. 3a. Bridgetown, Barbados, British West Indies. October 10, 1913.) 



Seeds saved from a fruit purchased on the street. The fruit measured 9^- inches 

 long and 15} inches in circumference. It is oblong in shape and of a slightly 

 greenish color; taste subacid; quality very good. For trial in southern Florida 

 and in southern California." 



36701. Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. Orange. 

 "(No. 4a. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. October 4, 1913.) Seeds from small or, 



rather, medium, somewhat oblong seedling oranges served on the table of the 

 Hotel International. The fruit is golden yellow; flesh bright golden yellow; 

 good quality, quite juicy; skin thin; two to eight or more seeds. It might be 

 well to grow a few to try out in California and Florida." 



36702. Myrcia^ia cauliflora (Mart.) Berg. Jaboticaba. 

 "(No. 5a. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. October 24, 1913.) Among the fruit 



trees cultivated in gardens about Rio de Janeiro the jaboticaba is one of the 

 commonest, and certainly one of the most beautiful. The largest trees are 

 30 to 40 feet in height and fully 40 feet in spread, with dense, dome-shaped 

 heads of light-green foliage. The individual leaves vary in size according 

 to the variety, some being 3 inches while others are not more than 1 inch in 

 length; oblong-lanceolate in form, glossy, light green in color, usually pink in 

 the yoimg stage. The trunk of the tree is often very large, one specimen that 

 we measured being 80 inches in circumference at the base, and it usually 

 branches close to the ground. The bark is smooth, grayish brown in color, 

 reminding one of the bark of the guava and other myrtaceous fruits. 



''The name jaboticaba is a Tupi word, spelled by some authorities ja6Mf{ca6a; 

 this name is applied only to the fruit, the suffix 'eira' being added to signify the 

 tree, making the word jaboticabeira, or 'jaboticaba tree.' The name is usually 

 pronounced here at Rio de Janeiro as though spelled ja-bu-ti-ca-ba, with the 

 accent on the fourth syllable. 



"The tree flowers here in May and June, and the fruit ripens in October and 

 November. As signified by the specific name, cauliflora, the fruits are produced 

 on the old wood, and we have seen many trees whose trunks were literally 

 covered with fruits down to within 2 or 3 feet of the ground. The fruiting is 

 not confined, however, to the large wood, but extends clear out to the ends of 

 the smallest branches; the fruits are sessile or nearly so, and a tree covered with 

 them from the ground to the ends of the small limbs presents a rather unusual 

 appearance, to say the least. 



"Four varieties are offered by the nurserymen here, but do not seem to be 

 recognized by the people in the rural districts. They come from different 

 parts of Brazil, and probably not more than one or two of them are in general 

 cultivation here. Since they are supposed to come true from seed, it is quite 

 possible that one or more of them may be entirely different species. Their 

 names are Sao Paulo, Murta, Coroa, and Branca; the variety Sao Paulo may be 



