Ichang citrus, chestnuts, etc., we received a 
copy of your letter of January ?>5 v/ritten from 
Ichang. The last letter v/e had from you was 
dated NovemlDer 15, and we notice that most of 
the lalDels in the packages received were dated 
November 15. The packages arrived here February 
?6 and during the last eight or ten days we have 
been going over them, getting them into shaioe and 
trying to. salvage as much of the material as pos- 
sible. Most of the material arrived in very poor - 
condition. It had evidently seen hard usage en 
route. 
V/ith the grov/ing facilities here and a 
sympathetic gardener like Mr. Goucher to handle 
the material, we are holding more of the foreign 
shipments than formerly. As a matter of fact, 
the inspectors will not permit any of this material 
to be widely distributed at present. For the most 
part, we are required either to hold and handle 
it here at the quarantine house or detention house, 
or else send it to Yarrow where it will be under 
sur)ervision. 
The citrus fruits unfortunately were in a 
very bad condition. They had evidently been 
heated or frozen, and possibly both, and in most 
instances were pretty thoroughly decayed. The 
decay was so far advanced that in a number of 
instances it has not been practicable to identify 
the specimens. The labels on the top of the box 
came through in very good shape. The numbers on 
the papers around the specimens, however, had all 
disappeared with the rotten paper and rotten cit- 
rus material. Hov/ever, we managed to salvage con- 
siderable of the seed and have practically all of 
the lots you sent grovfing in our quarantine house. 
After the citrus fruits had been treated v/e asked 
Mr. Swingle anckr . Robinson, who is now assisting 
him, to come doWn and look them over. Mr. Swingle 
is very much interested in what you sent in. He 
thinks you have probably some new material. We 
managed to get from a few of the fruits some sec- 
tions or parts of tissue, including some of the 
skin, which we have preserved in formaldehyde for 
Mr. Swingle. . . 
The citrus scion wood was in better condition 
than might have been expected under the circum- 
stances. Y/ithout looking up the records, my recol- 
lection is that we have saved wood of all of your 
numbers except possibly one. One of the numbers 
I recall was completely dead. Mr. Goucher has put 
September PI, 1918. 
