189 



a hedge plant. The fruit was bitter and resinous, and was used as a 

 preserve fruit; but the plant was hardy in character, and by hybridizing 

 it with the common sweet orange it was hoped that the frosts would be 

 resisted and that they might obtain hybrids of the two species and a de- 

 ciduous as well as an evergreen orange. The true hybrid plants, already 

 obtained, had b9en found very much more vigorous than the common 

 iweet orange. His department had also made experiments with the 

 view of combining the character of the tangerine with the common 

 orange in order to secure, if possible,the loose skin of the tangerine with 

 the common variety. The sweet orange was of much better quality 

 and more desirable than the tangerine, but if by hybridizing they 

 could produce a fruit to combine the characters of the two, 

 he thought that such :i fruit would take the market ; and they were 

 working on those lines. They were further endeavouring to improve 

 the quality of the orange by crossing the bitter-sweet pomelo with the 

 gweet orange. The United States Agricultural Department had, also 

 been working more or less with pineapples; and he pointed out that it 

 had been ascertained that by the crossing of fruits which were com- 

 monly seedless they could frequently produce seeds, and that the plants 

 ■o dealt with were more vigorous and better able to resist disease. 

 Another branch of their work was with cotton plants, the main point 

 being to hybridize between the Upland cotton and the so-called Sea 

 Island cotton. By this hybridization they hoped to extend the cotton 

 industry considerably. The last experiment dealt with by the lecturer 

 was the hybridization of corn (maize) by introducing the wild species 

 into the cultivated strain. They were endeavouring to cross the common 

 maize with the wild Mexican grass Teosinte, which was supposed to be 

 the progenitor of maize; but, of course, there must be numerous gener- 

 ations before they could bring out the character of the corn to any 

 great effect. 



DRYING HOUSE. 



In a former Bulletin * an account was given of a Drying House 

 for Cocoa used in Ceylon. The following extract on the subject of a 

 Drying House for general use is taken from "Planting Opinion/* an 

 excellent journal published in Madras. 



"How to Make a Hot-air Drying Houbb. 



"There are so manygways of doing this that I think 1 had better 

 iimply describe the way mine has been built, and leave others to im- 

 prove upon the idea according to the cheapest material and cost of 

 transit in their district. It is first necessary that the principle upon 

 which tlu heat is to be obtained and regulated should be understood. 

 It is well known that hot air rises, and only falls again to a lower level 



See Bulletins 41 and 48. 



