484 
free from sweetness and nearly insipid, but would be suitable 
for marmalades, etc." (Mader.) For distribution later. 
SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA. (Bignoniaceae . ) 31953. Seeds 
from Java. Received through Dr. B. T. Galloway, Chief, Bureau 
of Plant Industry. "A tall, erect tree from western tropical 
Africa. Its large, orange-red, erect flowers, produced at the 
tips of the branches throughout the wet season, render it 
strikingly handsome and conspicuous at a distance. The unex- 
panded flowers contain a quantity of water, hence the tree 
has been called the ' Fountain-tree ' . " (Macmillan, Handbook of 
tropical gardening.) For distribution later. 
TRITICUM AESTIWM. (Poaceae.) 31780-791. Seeds of 
wheat from Chinese Turkestan. Twelve varieties of wheat all 
raised under irrigation and many of them on land that is 
quite alkaline. .(Meyer ' s ' introductions . ) For distribution 
later . 
NOTES FROM FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS . 
Mr. C. V. Piper of Forage Crop Investigations, who is 
traveling as an agricultural, explorer, writes from Cawnpore, 
India, under, date of September 17, 1911, as follows: 
"T spent eight days in Calcutta, two days in Pusa, and 
one day in Benares, en route here. I was greatly impressed 
with the files-, of information in Mr. Burkhill' s office. As I 
wrote you, a recent change has put his work under Major Gage, 
who still is THE man to write to for things, though 
Mr. Burkhill actually gets most of them. Inspector General 
Mollison has retired and Courtney is acting, but the general - 
impression is that the' office will be abolished notwithstand- 
ing most of the men regard this as a mistake. I found a few 
things at the Royal Botanic. Gardens, Sibpur, which are 
promised as soon as seed is ripe. They have young plants 
of Pueraria tuberosa for us, to be forwarded in the near 
future. Burkhill told me Melocanna was fruiting in great 
abundance this. year, go I, wrote to the Director of Agricul- 
ture in Dacca' to secure us- a supply and also, , if possible, 
the soft grained varieties of Coix. Burkhill has quite a 
series of them, and they impress me 'as of possible value to 
our southern states. At Pusa is the Imperial Department of 
Agriculture for India. The work is mostly research, Leather 
in soils, Hutchison in soil bacteriology, Butler in mycology, 
Howard in Plant breeding, etc. There is little field work of 
importance outside of Howard's admirable work with wheats, 
sesame, jute, roselle, etc., the other field plots being 
mainly for illustration and containing nothing of special 
