the photograph are getting the scions for Mr. Kearney, and
I am glad to say that these particular scions which they cut are now
growing in California. Mr. Kearney also on this same trip visited the
Duke de Bronte estate on the slopes of Mount Etna. It was an estate
bequeathed by the King of Italy to Lord Nelson, who was made the Duke de
Bronte and it is still the property of the Nelson family. Mr. Beck, who
was the manager for this estate and with whom we have had correspondence
for nearly 18 years, gave us perhaps more information than we have
gotten from any other foreign source on the cultivation of the pistache.
The Trabonella, which was one of the best commercial varieties, came
from the Bronte estate on the slopes of Mount Etna, where pistache
growing is a paying industry. In Europe the nuts are very largely used,
outside of the Mediterranean region for making the pistache ice cream
because of the green color in the seed itself, and in the Mediterranean
region both the yellow and green varieties as we are coming to use them
in this country, as table nuts. The highest price is paid for the green
pistache nuts which are used in ice creams and confectioneries. Here are
two Sicilian horticulturists, one of them holding a bundle of bud
sticks. This Trabonella variety is now growing in America. We have
collected pistache nuts from many parts of the world. A very interesting
man by the name of Jewett who became acquainted with the late Ameer of
Afghanistan procured for us the Afghanistan pistache. I got in
correspondence with him through the Consul in Calcutta. Through a
mistake made in sending some of this correspondence direct instead of to
Calcutta it nearly cost him his life. I did not know the conditions
there and asked Jewett in my letter what the possibilities were of
sending an Agricultural explorer there. The letter fell into the hands
of the Ameer and aroused his suspicions. Jewett was one of the two
English speaking persons at that time in the country. One Sunday morning
my door bell rang, and Jewett came to my house in Connecticut Avenue
with two big saddle bags filled with seed sent by the Ameer. This
collection of pistache seeds with its Afghanistan label composed part of
the collection of seeds. Very few of the seeds grew however and the
seedlings, which like many nut trees do not come true to seed, have not
produced any varieties of particular value.

A year ago I had the pleasure of making a motor tour th