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interesting conference given up to a discussion of the products 
of the Ya-Chow country, the following interesting methods of 
ripening persimmons used "by the natives came up. They are of 
especial interest in connection with Mr. H. C. Gore's work on 
persimmons here in the Department and the work of Vinson on 
ripening dates. 
The commoner method, apparently used on a commercial 
scale, is to lay down a layer of lime, air-slaked, on an 
out door platform or bed of earth; on this lime straw is 
placed sufficiently thick to conceal the lime, and on 
this the green persimmons are placed. The rapidity of 
ripening or the completeness of the action was not ob- 
served "by Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw. 
The other method consisted in placing a number of 
green persimmons in a basket with a number of the coarse 
pears cf the country. As the natives say, "the pears 
take the bitterness from the persimmons." As the baskets 
of ripening fruit are placed in closets to ripen, it is 
to be supposed that the pears never get so far as com- 
plete decay. After being used in this manner the pears 
are thrown away as spoiled. 
CHINESE TURKESTAN, Eashgar. From Mr. Prank N. Meyer, Agricultural 
Explorer, we hear under date of October 27, that he has reached 
Eashgar in safety. There seems to be nothing remarkable to be 
seen there. The fruits are decidedly poorer there than in Rus- 
sian Turkestan, and far fewer in varieties. There are a few 
strange varieties of plums, somewhat between plums and cherries 
in general looks. Eine varieties of winter melon, which "cer- 
tainly ought to be boomed in America, as we have nothing like 
them. The. so-called winter peaches they have here are all 
clingstones, somewhat watery and not very fine in general. 
There are, however, excellent pomegranates." Mr. Meyer left 
on October 29 for Yarkand with the British Consul, thence to 
Khotan, and then to Eeria. When returning they expect to make 
side trips into the mountains to collect all the good things of 
the country. Botanically, the country from Andishan to Eashgar 
by way of Osh was extremely poor, the mountains and plains being 
arid or semi-arid and practically devoid of vegetation. On the 
Russian side there were still to be seen many wild grasses but 
dried out and shrivelled, while on the Chinese side there was 
very little vegetation at all. Eor a few da3^s they went through 
absolutely barren regions and where vegetation appeared it con- 
sisted of Artemisias and saltbushes. 
GREECE, Corfu. From this island, Dr. Charles Sprenger writes 
October 21 and 29 that he will send us cuttings of the Lecein 
olive, a variety unusually resistant to cold and frost, a Tuscan 
variety of Asparagus, and next autumn will send us plants of 
