INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. 9 
cious flavor resembling that of the loquat, the Chopo (Xo. 33206), a 
striking, rapidly growing species of poplar almost completely devoid 
of lateral branches and therefore suited for close planting and for 
pole production, a shipping pear (Xo. 33209), of good quality, called 
"Pera de Aragon," a delicious winter apple (Xo. 33210) called 
• Pero Blanco de Honda," which ripens in January, and an especially 
hardy almond (Xo. 33218), which has flowers that hang down and are 
thus protected from frost injury and in this way insure its fertility 
when other varieties lose their crops; Xos. 3270S to 32712 and 33250 
to 33255. 11 named varieties of udo from Yokohama, Kyoto, and 
Tokyo, including early, midsummer, and late varieties, for com- 
parison with the seedling sorts now being experimented with in 
America; Xo. 33256, an elephant grass of India, Typha elephantina, 
a species related to our cat-tail flag but having leaves 13 feet long; 
the yam bean of Jamaica (Cacara erosa, Xo. 3325S), which, according 
to the introducer, ought to supersede the arrowroot in cultivation, 
being a much larger yielder, and the young pods of which are recom- 
mended as "string beans/' having absolutely no fiber and being 
excellent when cooked; Xo. 33263, a cucumberlike vine from the 
Director of Agriculture of Zanzibar, bearing fruits weighing 60 
pounds, from the seeds of which a culinary oil is expressed by the 
natives: and Xo. 33277, seeds of the best strains of winter melons of 
Valencia, which are famous in Spain, 15,000 tons being exported 
annually. 
A special publication is in process of preparation covering the 
Egyptian expedition of Mr. Aaron Aaronsohn, which was made in 
search of the TVahi date and which resulted in the introduction of 
date suckers of 13 promising varieties (Xos. 32713 to 32725). 
As heretofore, the manuscript for this inventory has been prepared 
by Miss Mary A. Austin, the botanical determinations have been 
made, the notes on geographic distribution compiled, and the notes 
on nomenclature prepared by Mr. H. C. Skeels, under the supervision 
of Mr. Frederick V. Coville, of the Office of Taxonomic and Range 
Investigations, while Mr. S. C. Stuntz has had general supervision 
of this inventory, as of all the publications of the Office of Foreign 
Seed and Plant Introduction. 
Davld Fairchild, 
Agricultural Explorer in Charge. 
Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 
Washington, D. C, August 29, 1912. 
282 
