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wood i8 used for railway ties and for general construction purposes. It seems 
likely to prove sufficiently hardy for cultivation in California, Florida, and 
along the Gulf coast. We know very little about its climatic adaptations, how- 
ever, and must withhold definite recommendations until it has received a pre- 
liminary trial. 
hordeum spp. (Poaceae), 60204 and 60205. Naked barley. From Yunnan, China. 
Seeds collected by J. F. Rock, National Geographic Society. Last year Dr. H. V. 
Harlan, of the Department of Agriculture, traveled extensively in the Mediter- 
ranean region, in British India, and in Abyssinia, to obtain new types of barley 
for testing in the United States. Mr. Rock has now added to the collection by 
contributing two interesting forms from Yunnan, secured toward the end of his stay 
in that region. He gives the following information regarding them: 
60204. hordeum sp. "(Garthok, eastern Tibet. February, 1924.) Grade 1. 
One of the best grades of barley from the high plateau of eastern Tibet, where 
it grows at an altitude of 10,000 feet or more. It sheds its hull with the awn; 
the latter does not break off, leaving the hull attached as is the case with 
American barley. The grain is large and pure white. This grade is probably 
adapted to the uplands of the central western part of the United States. 
60205. hordeum sp. "(Garthok, eastern Tibet. February, 1924.) Grade 2. 
A black barley from the high plateau of eastern Tibet where it grows at an alti- 
tude of 10,000 feet or more. This ia one of the best grades." 
litchi chinensis ( Sapindaceae ) , 59649. Lychee. From Santiago de las Vegas, 
Cuba. Presented by H. A. Van Hermann, Finca Mulgoba. 
"In the hope of establishing the lychee in Florida, the Office of Foreign 
Seed and Plant Introduction has from time to time distributed young plants to 
experimenters in that State. Many of these plants have succumbed to cold winters; 
and at Miami the soil does not seem altogether satisfactory. On the western 
coast conditions are better in this last-named respect; when planted far enough 
south to be out of danger from severe frosts, the tree should have a good chance 
of success. Judging from the conditions under which the lychee is cultivated in 
southern China, we would expect the banks of the Caloosahatchee , below Fort 
Meyers, to prove better suited to it than most other sections of Florida. 
"At Santa Barbara, Calif., the behavior of a single specimen planted twenty 
years ago or more, has shown that the lychee can be grown with a fair degree of 
success, provided a location practically free from danger of frost is selected. 
Most attempts to cultivate it in California, however, have resulted in failure. 
It does not seem likely that it will ever be feasible to grow it commercially 
in that State. 
"The excellent quality of the lychee as a fresh fruit, and its ability to 
withstand shipment, suggest the desirability of establishing lychee orchards 
somewhere in the western hemisphere, so as to supply North American markets. It 
may be practicable to develop these in southern Florida. Certainly they would 
succeed in Cuba, Porto Rico, and tropical America generally. Mr. Van Hermann, 
