The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-23
WEEDS and FUNGI.
Plants and Insects That Cost Us
Vast Sums Of Money.
SCIENTISTS SAY IT is A NEEDLESS
WASTE, TOO.

The Other Side of the story-Many valu-
able Plants and Fruits introduced to
This Country From the Old World.
New York SUM-
One hundred and sixty-three million
acres Of the Unitsd States are now de-
voted to the cultivation of staple crops,
and yet pumpkins and q few kinds OF
grapes, plums and berries are the only
food plants native to this country.
American pride must take severe tum-
BILE when it is considered that with all
our great productive capacity, supplying
good part of the worlds needs, and
with our vast resources, the American
bill of fare would today be scarcely an
improvement on that Of the Digger In
dian were it not for the Introduction from
foreign lands of hundreds of edible pro-
ducts now found throughout the country.
Even corn. King Corn, commonly known
in the world as Indian corn, and reoog-
nized as American, is in all probability
an introduction from Mexico. Accord
ing to research, wheat, rye and other
grains are of European and Eastern
origin, as are also cabbage, lettuce, as.
paragus, celery, onions, cuCumbers,
melons, etc. Peru has given us the
potato. tomato and egg plant, sswkiles our
apples, ounces, pears, gooseberiies and
California grapes are of European paren-
tage.
This seems to be the case with al new
countries. With the settling OF the Unit
ed States began at once the impo2tations
of European products for trial in our
varied climates, and this has been going
on constantly, with the result tnat we
now grow hundreds of kinds of common
fruits and vegetables, which Sem as
much at home here as the native gfowths.
Under the enabling clause of the Hepart-
ment of Agriculture, the head Of that
branch was instructed to procure rare
and valuable plants and seeds for tent and
trial, and for many years this WORK has
been going on systematically. For some
thing over year DIR. ID. G. Faifchild
has had charge for the work of seed and
plant introduction Of the National Depart
ment of Agriculture. The rapid gr owth
of the work OF plant hybridization and
selection, and the recognition of the great
losses caused by parasitic insects and
fungi introduced from foreign countries,
emphasize the Importance of careful
supervision and inspection of all import
ed plants and seeds.
A feature of his work about which DR..
Fairchild is now much concerned Is the
danger of introducing inadvertently into
the country weeds and noxious insects
and dangerous fungi. He is soon to issue
an official publication covering this sub.
jeot, as we'll as the general work of plant
Introduction. He refers to a few in
stances of what importations carried on
without proper inspection have brought
with them. The weil-known San Jose
scale, introduced into the United States
as late as 1870, has swept over large part
of it like scourge, and during the pres
emit year has been made the SUBJECT of an
imperial German edict, restricting the
importation of American rruit into Ger
many. The introduction of the coffee
disease from Africa has practically wiped
out the Ceylon coffee industry. The
brier ruse, since its Introduction into
Hawaii, has become a most troublesome
plant, and the most serious weed of the
tropio.
The Russian thistle, introduced with
daxseed into South dakota. now ranges
over several States The handsome water
hyacinth, introduced into Florida as an
ornamental plant, now chokes .up the St.
John and other rivers until navigation
is seriously impeded. In the island OF
Sicily the prickly pear is highly priced
as food plant, but since Its introduction
into South Africa it las proved there a
curse to the country. The gypsy moth,
New England with the iden of breeding
up a race Of hardy sikworn,s at the time
when the pebrine disease threatened the
silk industry of France, and although 1t
has been systematically fought since its
Introduction 1t has caused tremendous
ravages, besides costing i'll State appro-
priations nearly $500, QUO.
The remedy for all such svils5 lies in
Government inspection at the doors where
| they care brought in. This will eof
| course do no good in diseases and insects
which have already established footheld
| but it will prevent new ones from enter
ling. DR.. Fairohild thinks the time par
| ticularly suspicious TO take in hand the
regulation of importation of plants and
seeds into Hawaii, Porto Rico, and, later,
| anv other island possessions.
lit is matter of vital Importance,
said he, ito the future welfare of these
islands and of American capital there in
rerested that some action bs taken at once
looking to thesexclusion.of such danger
ous diseases, and insects as are almost
certain to invade them if unrestricted i'm.
nortations are allowed. For instance, the
| banana disease Of the Fiji Islands would
surely take the profit out of banana rails.
ING ia Porto Rico, while the three new
insect and fungus diseases Of the coffee
plant recently described from the Phllip-
should certainly be kept out of our coffee
growing regions At the present time the
plan tiers of Hawaii are preparing. to i'm
port large quantities of improved seeds
and plants Of Guatemalan cot1ee, and II
some rigid precautions are not prescribed
they win import as well the dreaded ia
mancha, which has devastated whole
plantations in Guatemala and 1mpover'
| fcho Oh i,