761 
round; size medium small, length two and seven-eighth to 
three and one-half inches, diameter two and one-half to 
three and one-fourth inches; stem inserted squarely; base 
rounded, cavity none or practically none; apex rounded; 
surface smooth; color when fully ripe bright orange; skin 
one-eighth inch thick, pliable, oil glands rather small; 
segments commonly ten, rag rather tough, core open, one- 
fourth to three-eighths inch in diameter; flesh golden 
yellow, tender, exceedingly juicy; flavor sweet, apt to 
be cloying when the fruit is very ripe; quality good; 
seeds averaging eight to ten, small to medium size. While 
most abundant in the markets about Christmas time the sea- 
son commences in late September or October and extends to 
the end of January. The variety is an extremely prolofic 
bearer, quite a contrast in this respect to 'selecta', 
whose bearing habits are those of the Bahia navel orange. 
The branches of 'pera' trees are not infrequently so 
heavily laden with fruits that they have to be propped to 
prevent them from breaking. One of the finest groves of 
this variety seen in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro is 
that of Sr. Cezar Augusto Henriques, at Maxambomba. The 
trees here are all budded on the sour orange ('laranja de 
terra'), the commonest stock in this region and generally 
considered the best; at four years of age the budded trees 
produce on an average five hundred fruits per tree, ac- 
cording to the statement of the owner. The usual price 
obtained for the fruits Is 5$000 (about $1.60) per hundred. 
The orchard is situated on a hillside, the soil being rich 
clay loam, grayish in color. No deep cultivation is given 
the trees, but the surface is frequently hoed to keep down 
weeds." (Dorsett, Popenoe, and Shamel introduction.) 
Copemicia cerifera. (Phoenicaceae . ) 37866. Seeds of the 
carnauba palm from Joazeiro, Bahla, Brazil. "A valuable 
wax palm found along the banks of the Rio Sao Francisco 
from well above Barra to below Joazeiro. In places it 
grows in great abundance, forming large groves along the 
banks of the stream. The leaves are fan-shaped, rather 
finely cut, two to three feet in diameter, and light 
green in color. The plant frequently attains a height of 
from twenty-five to thirty feet. The wax is extracted by 
cutting the leaves and drying them in the sun, when the 
wax exudes in the form of a powder. Candles made from It 
are yellowish brown in color, extremely hard and burn with 
a clear yellow fairly brilliant light. They sell for 
forty reis each, but very few are made nowadays and they 
are difficult to obtain. The fruit is for hog feed and 
many of the large land owners are preserving the trees 
for the production of fruit. The trunks are extensively 
employed in building houses. The wax industry was former- 
