The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-05-07

he m3uy Iu4uIFeFS who have sent
20 the Office for the address OF dealers
who can supply saeeaIlne roots will be
Interested IN the following caution IN
regard TO the plant from the zen Of T.
W. Taylor Of the Nebraska Expert
nenE Station
This Is exactly the year for FARM
erss Of the West especially, TO be on
The lookout for anything IN the way
OF forage plant that will Withstand
extreme drought; and Just a5 this
time so much II being said IN favor OF
= plant going under the name Of sac
aLue that IE seems as If those who
nave seen I5 ought TO say what their
observation has shown regarding It.
About q year ago received from
Or. B2t8lide, director Of the Imperial
Botanic Garden Of Petersburg, two OF
The roofs These were carefully
planted and became established N
pots, and were then set out in the
ground They grew perhaps three
feet N the summer, making 4 coarse
plant looking very much like its first
cousin the common SmArtweed or
heart 's-ease. In the autumn it's stalk
had become IS tough and hard Is sun
flower stalks, and in fact worse, IS
they are not so full OF pIth. The whole
appearance OF the plant would indicate
rs relationship TO the docks and
smartweeds, and my observation of It
so far does not promise for iE any
greater value for fOFa@ sc than the other
members OF the family named possess.
But, for fear that what I have seen
0f It may not show Il IN q fair light.
7 have taken pains to get together
many opinions upon It from various
reliable sources, from which I quote.
Dr.. B4taIine wrote az the time he
sent. the roots: In my opinion Poly
g0uun saeaIIaese y UNFIT for fodder,
because the stem runs rapidly TO wood
and the leaf becomes IeaGhery. I am
persuaded that the enthusiasm for It
n France Is created by the impudent
pretenses Of trade T. c. Burris, as
sist1ut agrIcuIturaIis6 IN the agrieuL-
suraI college Of Kansas, says The
plants made i very slow growth, and
about hAIf OF the plants survived the
dry summer, aud made . growth of 4
foot and half Professor CeOFgEsOu
q the slime Institution says: 1t
seems entirely unsuIted to the dry,
not climate Of the Western States
This Il explained by the fact that the
plant Is q native OF the Island Of Saga I
Inc of the north coast OF japan /
Where the rainfall Il very great. Pro- /
lessor y Z. Hansen of the Iowa 4 gri- (
cultural College, where the plant has
been growing for q good many years |
as an Ornamental plant, says that they /
Do not wish TO endorse i5 II any way 1
until better tested Professor PamueI I
Of the SAME school adds- Several F
mem hers Of this family are pesaifer- /
Gus plants and from what have seen 4
OF sacaIine believe this viii be Is bad 4
IS any, and perhaps worse
II have never yet seen an IadOrse-
msa6 by any one who has actually
tried It IN the United States, though I
I have been watching the whole SUBJ
jee5 with good deal OF interest for a
year. The exaggerated claims made
for the plant would convince q
thoughtful man that Il should be
Tested carefully before being accepted,
and the more the matter is Investi-
gated the worse ie gets. The mIIdest
possible construction To pat o. the
Ease - that those who are pushing
what promises To De . vile weed rather
Ian a forage plant did not know
what they were uuderta king"
It would certainly be well TO 60 slow
q dev0cIng much land TO the plant
Ma dealers II this city ara yet sup
7TTsd With roots, but. the Agricultural
Station az Berkeley had q
.naII supply for distribution earlier IN
he =easOp