Evening star., 1899-03-13
Experiments to Be Conducted on a
Large Scale.
VALUE OF RESEARCHES ABROAD
Good Results That Have Been
Heretofore Obtained.
THE ETHODS PU E d

Secretary Wilson of the Department OF
Agriculture is taking great interest in the
plans now being made for the extension
of the division of seeds and plants intro
duction. One Of the bills which passed
Congress in its closing hours gave the de-
partment the use of a tract of land, not
exceeding seventy-five acres. between the
Washington monument and the Potomac
river for conducting on a large scale the
work of this division. Heretofore it has
been carried on in a small way. upon tracts
Of land. an acre here and there in the Vi
cinity of the department buildings. This
land beside the river is admirably adapted
for the purposes intended. 1t now supports
n growth of weeds eight or nine feet high.
When Star representative asked Secre-
tary Wilson what his plans were he
piled:
We want better chance for testing i'm
ported seeds and plants to ascertain wheth-
eF they happen to bring with them any in
sect pests or bacterial diseases that might
be troublesome. We can here conduct exper-
iTents under our immediate supervision, and
II none OF the dangers of imported varieties
are encountered can then distribute the
seeds widely for general experimnts. One
Of our most useful lines of work is this in
Nestigation of the plant life of the world
with view Of bringing in here such va
rieties as can be added to our own to ad-
vantage We have four explorers now
abroad Through one of them who is now
N 1rlpon we have authorized an expendi-
ture OF $500 for planting grove of date
palms 1t has been discovered that the
date palm will succeed in Arizona and New
Mexico, and so he is getting together in
Africa the finest specimens obtainable, and
Wnen they are ready TO plant they will be
transferred to the regions i'm this country
that VIII be benefited by their introduce
ton All the time we are in correspond
ence with. the scientists of the world and
whenever we get any suggestion, like the
availability OF the date palm for Arizona
We follow II up carefully We are now
getting. for example. the fine table cranes
OF the Mediterranean. Heretofore they
nave not been brought in here on account
OF the phylloxera. but our scientists have
discovered process of fumigatiOn which
now makes the growth of these grapes here
profitable
For Wheat Raisers' Benefit.
"One of our explorers has just returned
from Russia. where he went last year with
directions to study the grain situation, as
eertainnS what varieties would not winter
Kill. smut, roast or blight, and to bring
back for the benefit of the wheat rafsers the
best results of this search. These we shall
try on our experimental area. An explorer
has come back from Asia with some pears
that We think will not blight. and he has
also some rice seed which promises to be
better than anything now in use. He has
brought back the persImmOn. which is the
table fruit of Japan There they have a
method OF curing It So TO take the acrid-
1ty out. And We have consignments OF
grains and fruits and grasses from Turke-
stan China and the rcrnotest parts of the
world Where a thousand things are
brought back from these places if we can
find one that the people of The United States
ind more useful than what they now have
We think the expense of the exploration has
been paid / will give you an illustration
of how this sometimes works. An explorer
once found up in TurRestan some musk
melons of fine flavor, which grew as to
weigh 81 pounds apiece. He brought back
some seed. and We distributed it all over
the country. bat got a favorable report
from only one place That was one of the
little valleys of the Rocky mountains in
Colorado. where the seed from Turkestan
seemed to fit in exactly. The man who has
tried it there says the muskmelon beats
anything that he has ever seen. and that
Is a great country for the muskmelon. 50
We ara arranging for its dissemination
through these Rocky mountain valleys.
Grass From the Steppes of Russia.
Look at this grass from the steppes of
Russia continued Secretary Wilson, he
took from his desk a bunch of dry grass
attached to a piece Of cardboard. 1T
stands the heat of summer. the longest
droughts and the most excessive cold in
winter. We tried some of this grass in the
arid regions Of northern California This
specimen that l have here stood six
months drought. and you see about two
inches of green near the roots. One of the
greatest objects of our study is TO make
the arid lands more productive. Our sys-
TEN of distribution is principally through
the agricultural experiment stations in each
state. provided for by Congress in 1887. We
give each station the things adapted to its
locality. and they turn in to US their dis
Cnveries which may be of general advan-
tage- But We do not confine ourselves to
the stations. for there many American
experimenters acting Independently like this
man in the Rocky mountains. who tested
the muskmelOn, and to them We send any
thing in which think they may be in
terested. keeping record of where things
are planted. and if the experiment is a par
ticularly interesting one we send out one
Of our scientists TO observe the results on
the spot.
The Sugar Beet.
But our most important work l believe.
has been in connection with the sugar beet
We began two years ago by importing the
seeds from France and Germany. which we
sent all over the country. and watched re-
suits. We are now able to tell people where
Inc beet VIII grow best. how to establish
factory and to make sugar. We have now
eighteen beet sugar factories in the United
States, but il would require 400 such fac
tories 10 supply our regular demand"
Suppose" the Secretary was asked
Robinson Crusoe on his island could grow
at one end of it cane sugar under conditions
as favorable as II grows in Cuba, and at the
other end could grow beet sugar as IL grows
in Germany. from which crop would he
FdtSe ms supply OF sugar. In other words
which is the more natural sugar producing
plantz'' ms
I will answer that replied Secretary
Wilson. by giving a little experience
When | was director Of the Iowa experi-
ment station / grew sugar beats as food
Tor the stock That institution had twenty
SIX varieties of domestic animals. and as a
Stockman | knew that milking animals
fSttening animals, growing ANIMALS. where
they cannot get to the green pasture in the
winter time are benefited by good roots. I
could grow twenty tons Of sugar heets to
The acre. at a cost of dollar a ton and
iced u To the stock profitably without hav-
lAg the sugar extracted at all. But II there
had been factory In the neighborhooi |
c'lid nave sent sugar beets there and have
frceived back the pulp which contains all
ihe nitrogen, for my cattle. So the answer
Is ms: II man had the option Of raising
sugar DeetS or cane. with conditions perfect
Tor both he would grow the beets if he had
GARY ana cows To feed. growing aI:i-
Liidt OF GARY COW requires aitrosea0us
matter sugar ts made entirely from car
iphaceous matter. The food of the Amer