410 
soon as it ripens. "It grows in such plenty in my garden that 
the seedlings are a perfect nuisance, so I do not anticipate 
that you will have ? any difficulty in growing them." This in- 
troduction is a tree already tried in California and found to 
"be a very rapid grower. It is made for the purpose of ascer- 
taining the possibility of using the sawdust of the wood, which 
is very soft and light, as packing for grapes in place of the 
cork and redwood sawdust commonly used. 
PARAGUAY, Horqueta. Mr. T. R. Gwynn writes January 17 that 
as we failed to receive the seeds and specimens of "timbo" 
(Pithecolobium sp.?), the "urunday" (Astronium sp.?), the "cud- 
piy" (Piptadenia sp.?), and the "cedro" (Cedrela sp.?), he will 
get them for us as soon as he can. The "cedro" he describes as 
having n a leaf exactly like our black walnut, but the wood is 
soft, grain smooth and even, color of wood exactly that of our 
cedar, is not an evergreen, is excellent for posts, and grows 
from posts planted in the ground. 1 * He will also send shortly 
roots of the "guavadamy" , and has been promised seed, leaves 
and twigs of the "ymangasy" or Paraguay rubber tree. In all has 
spent "something like $500 Paraguay paper money, which is now 
at a discount of 1300 per cent and has been down to 1800 per 
cent, so you see I haven't spent much.* 
PARAGUAY, Villa Encarnac ion. Mr. C, F. Mead writes Feb. 1 
that as soon as he can obtain them, he, wil'l send seeds of the 
Yerba carmi or yellow yerba. This grows as a shrub, is a finer 
flavored yerba but not as profitable. However, it flourishes 
in very poor soil. "As regards the cactus caraguata, (Bromelia 
argentina, S.P.I. 28689), of which I sent seeds some time ago, 
giving the plant a bad name on account of its spreading habit , 
it seems that the fibers of the leaves are used for making 
rope, the same as henequen and the like plants cultivated in 
Mexico. While putting up Caraguata bridge, I tested a rough 
rope of £ inch made of caraguata and it stood a greater strain 
than a new £ inch manilla rope (German make), lifting in succes- 
sion a steel girder of 560 kilos and then a steel trestle o£ 
870 kilos. The £ inch manilla lifted the girder but broke on 
the trestle. The caraguata rope was a rough affair, just twist- 
ed together by one of my peons, but most of the fibers were 
about 30 inches long." 
