Evening star., 1895-07-27
Written for The Evening Star.
FRUITS OF FAR JAPAN.
Vegetable Luxuries Obtained From
the Land of the MikMdo.

the Land of the NIikndo.
The Department of Agriculture has re-
Gently acquired a collection of Japanese
fruits-counterfeits, that is to say, exc
cuted most artistically by the professor of
| horticulture in the University of Toxic.
This gentleman. whose name is Kizo-Ta-
mari, was educated in this country. The
models serve to illustrate the extensive in
terchange of such vegetable products that
has been going on during the last few
years between the United States and the
empire of the .mikado! Many of the finest
varieties now on our market have been OBJ
tanned from thence, while not a few Amer
lean fruits are being cultivated largely in
the land CT the rising sun. For example,
Japan has no apples that are good for
anything; but apples from New England
are being grown in such quantities on the
Island of Yezo-the nofthernmost of the
japanese group-as to have become an I'm
portant commercial article
The climates of Japan and othe United
States are much alike, and any plant ma
tive to ore country seems to thrive in the
other astonishingly. eFfom our point of
view. just now that far Asiatic archipelag go
types CT fruits as well as of hardy olna-
mental plants. IN 1853 two Eaeuralists
named Williams and Morrow, who accom-
panied Conmoecre Perry's expedition, Sc
Japanese plants; while others were col
lected subsequently by Charles Wright
who made the trip with Commodore Rodg-
ers In 1855. These collections We're submit
ted for study to Prof Asa Gray, the IA
nous botanist. He was much struck with
the similarity between the fora of Japan
and that of the Allegheny region of North
America. The theory on the subject which
he then published is accepted today as the
true one.
During the great glacial epoch the north
ern part Of this continent was covered by
a sheet of ice which extended as far to the
south as Philadelphia and st. Louis. When
this sheet was withdrawn, the so-called
fiuvfal period supervened. during whichthe
climate was much warmer than it is at
present The sea was 800 feet above its
larger than they are now. Elephants and
rhnoceroses roamed over Canada and as
far as the shores of the Arctic ocean, while
mastodons, buffaloes, liors, elkS and horses
inhabited high latitudes. Alaska and
northeast Asia were connected by land,
and the Siberian elephant wandered from
one continent to the other. At the same
time the plant life of the two hemispheres
became intermingled.
Meanwhile the terrace epoch came slow
ly on. The arctic lands were elevated the
voters receded and the temperature fell.
The age during which Greenland had a
semi-tropical f1ora-when, as has been said,
an Eden might have been planted in Spitz-
bergen-vanished and the earth approached
its present condition. The vegetation of all
sorts was driven southwark through Asia
and America. The plants. pushed down
from the north on all sides of the globe,
held on In similar climates: hence the cor
respondence between those of Japan of to-
day and their congeners in this part of the
world.
From Japan we have obtained our finest
varieties of plums, and these are planted
all over the eastern part of the United
States from Connecticut to Florida. The
j
peach, which, though it does not look at
all like any of our varieties, is extremely
delicious. They got it from China, how
ever. This is today the leading market
peach Of Georgia Some years ago DIR. S.
H. Rumph of Marshallville, in that state,
planted about 10000 of the stones, from
Which ne got as many Seeding trees. From
the lot he chose two that bore the finest
fruit, eventually discardng one of them
The other was the parent of the Elberta
variety, which has since become famous.
DR.. Rumph has l1eady sold 100000 worth
of these peaches, hundreds of car loads Of
which will be shipped out of Georgia this
season.
Another Japanese peach, also originally
from China. is the Peento. 1t is cultivated
to a considerable extent in Florida, but
blooms too early for a higher latitude. Two
or three bright days at any time in winter
will bring cut the blossoms. Some of the
trees have been planted in MARYLAND, but.
for the reason mentioned, they never bear
fruit. Speaking of plums. the Japanese
grow certain varieties for the blossoms
alone. They are extremely fond Of spring
flowers, and festivals are. held annually to
celebrate the blossoming, of the plum and
the cherry. The fruit of those blossom
producing varieties Is acrid and of small
account. Plums in general in Japan are
not valued for eating fresh; they are pick
ed green usually and picked.
All OF our cultivated persimmons come
from Japan: Recently horticulturists in
Missouri, Illinois ana Indiana have been
trying to do something with native Ameri-
can varieties. but none of the latter ap-
proaches in size those of the orient, and as
yet they cut no figure commercially.