The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-05-26


for the American Gost-PlsUts thst
Might be Probably Introduced into the
United States.
Why did we import one million
dozen OF eggs into The United States
last year2 Tell NE that"
The eye of the new Secretary Of
Agriculture, Mr. Wilson, tw!nk!eo as
he asked the question otIhe Washing
ton correspondent OF a PhilaGeiphla
paper. Secretary Wilson then added:
DO you know that 132 Coo dozen
of those eggs came from China? THINK
of fetching that sort Of produce ali the
way from l',e Ficwery Land, just to
make sure of freshness. 4 few were
brought from Jepan, but the bulk OF
the imported eggs We ate last year
500, 900 dczeD-were laid in Canada. y
What is the matter with the Auoe-
rican hen9" the correspondent asked.
Nothing is the matter with the
American ben; but something IS
wrong with American farmer. He
needs to be taught the usefulness OF
raising on his own land a great many
things which We are oDGgsd to pus-
chase abroad for lack OF domestic sup
ply. Just think OF our being compel,
ed to import 500, 600, 900 worth of su
gar every year. Why, it is an absur-
dity! The sugar beet will grow aoml-
rably over large areas in this country,
yielding from IS TO 20 per cent. CT su-
gar. This summer we are going to
make experiments IN its culture IN
eighteen States. and fer this parpose
have distributed over four tons OF tee
finest beet seed obtained from Ger
many. You know, I suppose, that the
sugar beet is the same piant as the
ordinary garden beet, and that 1t has
been made 10 yield an extraordinary
percentage Of sugar by selection OF
plants for seed bearing from crop to
crop"
so you consider that there is no
reason why We should not grow all
the sugar we need in the United
Statsss'
Not any that I can imagine. And
why, pray. should we have imported
more than $40, 10000 worth Of goa!
skins in the last fiscal years. Is it to be
supposed that we cannot grow goats
in American I tell you no. The fscs
is that the American farmer has much
to learn in respect to animal hus5an-
dry, and this is only one circumstance
in illustration. It IS only very re-
Gently that he has begun to realize the
fact that the same sheep can be made
TO yield igh.prics6 wool and frStrate
mutton. There is, indeed, spco big
money in combining the industries OF
mutton production and wool produc-
ton that sheep raising may be con-
Quoted proftaoly on the highest priced
lands. It is ridiculous that we should
import wool
How about vegetable products Of
the farm2"
The same remark applies. Why
should It have bsen Necessary for rs
to import S65s, ,32O worth OF beans and
peas in the last tscal year? Might We
not have raised them just as well
on our own soil! Is there any reason
why we should Nc: have raised $685.
S44 worth of caobages which were
irnporteda Likewise S127, ,595 worth OF
potatossl cannot see why We should
have bought OF outsiders during the
same twelvemonth $2,773, 535 worth
of hay, $500, 900 worth Of hops and
nearly 81, 200, 600 worth OF rics.
People abroad seem disposed to bs5'
out some Of our products.
Naturally there is that tendency.
They do not want US as rivals II their
markets. But we are taking measures
to put a stop to unjust discrimination.
The department of agriculture prcpc-
ses to guarantee the quality OF our
agricultural products Dy giving Ger
tiics:es Of purity and wholesomeness,
to accompany each consignment des-
tired for export. We have begun
with beef. None Of our beef now goes
to Europe without such a certificate.
# the Germans cr other foreigners
persist in Discriminating against US,
we shall insist on their telling Us
why"
One Of the things largely imported
which might be produced in this coun-
Try is vanilla. This plant is one OF the
half-dozen species O. orchid that have
any value except Cor their flowers.
Its original home waS in Eastern
Mexico, but it is now cultivated N
tropical countries all over the world.
There is no reason why it should not
be grown with profit on large scale
in the United States. under glass.
This is done successfully in E0glaad
and France. Most Of the worlds sup
ply of vanilla is produced on the
slopes of the Cordilleras. In nature It
depends Tor lis ferliiiz alton on kind
of moth that is found only in Mexico.
Consequently in other countries the
flowers have to be fer'iliz:d artificial
ly hy touching the stigmas with the
pollen. In this way o.e man Ca fer
tilize 1000 blossoms in a day. The
Spaniards first carried the plant to
Europe. Vanilla, by the way, IS man
ufactured in the laboratory from oil
of cloves and asssfoet!da.
Experiments in the growing OF tea
have been made in California recently
with very satisfactory results. The
tea produced there is of excellent
quality, though different in favor
from any i'm ported leaf. There seems
to be no doubt that it could be grows
on a commercial scale with profit.
The plants are of japanese, Chinese
and Formosany varieties. The ylelc1
IS 500 pounds Ct leaves per scre, and
the cost OF production IS 30 cents
pound in addition to the rental OF the
land. Every person io the United
States, by the way, consumes t@en,
ty-one ounces of tea per annum, hai!
OF it coming from Chlna and ~ pes
cent from Japan. We imported sl2.
704, ,440 worth of it last year. TIE
culture of the planr is as simple ss
that OF the currsnt or gooseberry