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BRAZIL, Theophilo Ottoni. Mr. Fred Birch writes December 25 
that he has learned of a new variety of araca (Psidium araca) of 
a long pear shape, which he- will send when ripe if he remains in 
that locality. 
BURMA, Rangoon. Mr. George Forrest; who has just finished a 
collecting trip in western China, writes January 25 that he is 
returning to Scotland, having completed his work in that region 
for the present at least. 
CHINA, Shanghai. From here Mr.F. Kingdon Ward writes January 
11 that he has "been asked "by an English firm to. collect alpines 
in the mountains of Western Yunnan, China, and has accepted for 
at least a year. 
CHINESE TURKESTAN, Kashgar. The latest information from Mr, 
Frank N. Meyer is that after shipping the winter's collections of 
seeds and cuttings, amounting to over half a ton, he has left for 
Kuldscha by the Mussart Pass across the Tian-Schan Mountains, 
proceeding from there to Chuguchak, in Chinese Turkestan, where 
he expects to arrive April 15. At that place he will be but 
eight days journey from Omsk on the Trans-Siberian railway. His 
further plans are not yet determined. From Kuldscha he may get 
into the Issyk-kul region, or from Chuguchak he may go on into 
the Altai Mountains and Dzungaria. 
CHINA, Szechuan, Yachow. Mr. Edgar T. Shields writes Jan.. 
1 that the vines which he secured for us this last summer in the 
mountains have nearly all perished from delay in , transportation 
to Ifachow. He will try "again next year. "1 have asked one of 
my friends to buy for me if possible some of the bitter orange 
trees. They are very hard to grow and slow;, the Chinese have most 
ingeniously used the following scheme to procure new trees. They 
split a limb part way, beginning from the trunk, and going toward 
the tip of the limb, bind the end of the limb up in a bundle of 
earth. Thus it receives sap from the parent tree while it is be- 
coming rooted in the earth. After it is thoroughly rooted it is 
completely severed and transplanted. w (Shields.) (This is of 
course merely a method of layering where the; bundle of earth 
takes the place of the .natural soil, and could only be used in 
a very moist climate such as Yachcw has.) 
COCHIN CHINA, Saigon. M., Lan, Local director of Agricultur- 
al and Commercial services, writes January 17 that they are at 
present unable to supply 'seed 'of Amygdalus Coohinchinensis , the 
tropical sweet almond, but will try to get them for us. 
HAWAII, Honolulu. From Yokohama, Mr. C. V. Piper, agrostolo- 
gist in charge of Forage Crop Investigations, how studying forage 
crop conditions in the Philippines for the War j|Department , writes 
January 17, "A particularly interesting thing is the way our Amer- 
ican mesquite thrives at Honolulu. It was introduced many years 
'it 
