APEIL 1 TO JUNE 30, lyl4. 



43 



37748 to 37798 — Contd. (Quoted notes by Mr. Dorsett and others.) 



37791. "A tree believed to be about 40 years old, but with a 

 top much younger than this, perhaps 8 years old, as the tree 

 has been renewed by cutting it back to the old stump. Its 

 height is about 10 feet, its spread 12 feet, its habit droop- 

 ing, its trunk 29f inches in circumference, and it is headed 

 14 inches above the ground. The foliage is dense, dark 

 green; no thorns. In the June crop there are 139 fruits 

 and in the December crop 35, the principal variations being 

 in the size of the navel, which is from very small to medium." 



37792. "A tree said to be more than 40 years old, about 20 

 feet in height, and 27 feet in spread, erect in habit, headed 

 more than 4 feet above the ground, with a trunk 37^ inches 

 in circumference. The foliage is sparse, dark green ; no spines. 

 In the June crop there are 234 fruits and in the December 

 crop 139, among them being many w'hich are flattened or 

 wrinkled. Navels vary from medium to large in size, some 

 of them being very large and protruding. This and S. P. I. 

 Ko. 37791 are from a grove that is said to be one of the 

 very oldest existing in Bahia. The Bahia navel orange is 

 believed to have originated near it. Many of the trees in 

 this grove are said to be about 40 or more years of age, but 

 have had their tops renewed several times by cutting back 

 to the trunk, a custom common in Bahian orchards. The 

 orchardists generally believe that these renewed tops produce 

 better fruit than the original tree. It appears to us that 

 this may be due to the fact that as the trees grow older and 

 decline in vigor and productiveness, the fruit naturally be- 

 comes smaller and poorer. By renewal its size and quality 

 are considerably increased, equal perhaps to the fruits borne 

 by a young tree. This 4.5-year-old orchard is said to be one 

 of the most productive and profitable in Bahia." 



37793. CiTBUs sp. Rutacea?. Lime orange. 



From the grove of Col. Joao de Teive e Argollo. Agua Comprida, 

 Bahia. Lime orange, called in Portuguese laranja Jima. See S. P. I. 

 No. 37784 for 'description. 

 37794. Neoglaziovia variegata (Arruda i Mez. Bromeliaceie. Caroa. 

 (BiUbergia varietjata Schultz.) 

 From Joazeiro, Brazil. Presented by Dr. I.eo Zehntner. Director of the 

 Horto Florestal, .^oazeiro, Bahia. 



" This plant is found in the caatingas or dry lands of the interior of 

 Bahia State, particularly around Joazeiro. It grows to a height of 4 

 or 5 feet, and is conspicuous among the other plants on the caatinga 

 because of its variegated leaves, which are deep green blotched with 

 white. The natives harvest the wild plants, extract the fiber, and make 

 of it ropes, baskets, hammocks, etc. One of the commonest articles 

 made of caroa fiber is a small rope about one-fourth of an inch in 

 diameter and 6 feet in length, which is sold in the Joazeiro markets at 

 100 reis (about 3 cents) and is used to string up hammocks. 



*' Statistics concerning the extent of the caroa industry are lacking. 

 The plant should be worthy of a trial in the southwestern United States, 



