420 
sample of the 'gomma-gutta' , which I will send to you, "but 
please take into consideration that it is very unclean. Be- 
sides they left it to dry in the Dottle, in which they have 
put a cork of burio, Heliocarpus-wood . Try it, mixed 1j2 or 
so with Prussian blue; it makes thus the best, most beautiful 
and lasting green. When the resin gets dry, it is brown, but 
a solution of it always gives the characteristic light-yellow 
color. The 'gomma-gutta' comes from the East Indies, from 
Garcinia morella; here the tree which produces it (a Calo- 
phyllum, or Rheedia) is very ' abundant on the Pacific Coast." 
INDIA. United Provinces. Saharanpur. Mr. A. C. Hartless, 
Superintendent of the Government Botanical Gardens, writes 
March 13 that Mr. Woglum, of the Bureau of Entomology, is to 
return to Saharanpur in April to stay for two or three 
months, in case we wish to further utilize his services while 
there . 
NATAL. Durban. Mr. J. Medley Wood, Director, Natal Bo- 
tanical Gardens, writes March 11 that they can supply us. with 
seeds of Strychnos quaqua, which will be sent as soon as 
ready. Diospyros mespilif ormis and Garcinia livingstonei , 
which we requested for use as stocks, he is unable to furnish 
at present, but he will try to get them if at all possible. 
The seeds of native species of Asparagus will be sent when 
obtained, and a list of the bamboos which have proven hardy 
in the gardens there. 
PALESTINE. Haifa. Mr. A. Aaronsohn, Director of the 
Jewish Agricultural Experiment Station, writes April 4 in 
regard to Gyperus papyrus, that at present the marshes where 
it occurs are completely submerged, that by the time the 
waters have subsided growth will have commenced, and that he 
will therefore wait until August or September when the Arabs 
will have burned over the swamps, in order to secure us the 
quantity of the rhizomes we wish. 
■ PARAGUAY. Cahi Puente. Mr. C. P. Mead writes March 28 
that he will probably be able to continue his work in Para- 
guay in our interests for another five years, as he. expects 
to make arrangements shortly to take charge of the bridge 
work on a new line which will probably run from Capilla 
Borja, 26° S., and 56° 30' W. , northeast about 100 kilo- 
metres, thence almost due east to Puerto San Francisco in 
Brazil. The line will cross the Alta Parana very near to the 
Palls of Salto Iguazu, and will probably take five years to 
complete. 
