The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-29
HORTICULTURAL WORK
THE WHITE BLACKBERRY A NOV.
ELTY RECENTLY DEVELOPED.
Department Of Agriculture Wants
Congress to Protect the Work of
Men Who Crossbreed Fruit.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
Among the legislation that will be asked
of the coming Congress is a measure of
some sort for the protection of nurserymen
and horticulturists who produce new va
rieties Of fruits, grains and flowers which
are Of benefit to the race. One of the
curious factors in this problem of protec-
ton is that no one interested has yet been
able to decide just what form such legisla-
ton should take, whether Ii should be an
extension of the patent. trademark or copy
right laws, or whether it hould take the
form of q bounty to the producer without
restricting the use of the plant or fruit to
him or his assignees.
There is no question among scientific
agriculturists of the need of some such
measure, and sporadic efforts have been
. made at almost every session for several
Congresses past to secure legislation, but
no one has yet hit on a form satisfactory
to all concerned. Senator Plat, of Con-
necticut, last session introduced a bill for
one of his constituents, a New England
fruit grower, who happened to be a lawyer
as we'll, extending the trademark laws so
as to cover the production of new plants.
and at least give the owner Of such a
trademark some standing in court on which
to make a legal fight in case his rights
were interfered with. Congressman
O'Grady, of the Rochester district, in New
York. is much interested in the subject this
year, coming as he does from one of the
greatest nursery centers of the Empire
State, and he is now in correspondence with
the Agricultural Department on the subject.
H,,t ha hos MT ,raf far~or1ot4l anx nooc,,r
Of a practical sort.
To talk of patenting or c~opyrighting a
plant may sound rather queer to the av-
erage reader, but with its present ad-
vances in agriculture. such a course is
apparently necessary to enable the nur-
seryman to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
This is brought about by the advances that
have been made in the past decade in hy-
bridizing OF crossing plants of all sorts.
1t is a matter that has attracted the at
tention of scientists since the early part
of the present century, and one sees the
beautiful results in nearly all Of the cul-
tivated flowers which are made TO vary
in form and color, and to increase in size
year after year, under the patient and
skillful work of the scientific gardener.
But this is the least important feature OF
the recent advances in this line. The
crossing of various sorts of fruit trees and
grains has produced some surprising re-
suits. One of the peculiarities of hybrids
seems to be that frequently the offspring
grows more rapidly than either of its par
ents. In fact, the case of the California
black walnut, which has been crossed with
the Eastern species, the hybrid plant pro-
duced a nut almost double the size Of the
parents, and the tree itself grew more than
double as fast as both parents together.
The immense California plums which now
being exported to England and the con-
tinent. are the product OF Luther Burbank.
the originator of the Burbank potato. and
one of the most daring and successful OF
the preseDt-day workers in this line. The
Wickson plum. as it is known. is fully twice
the size of either OF its parents and a more
prolific plant. Mr.. Burbank is working
with several other plums. however. which
promise to as far surpass the wickson as it
surpasses the parent stock.
PROCESS TAKES A LONG TIME.
1t is not to be supposed, however, that
the production of a new and superior spe-
cies Of fruit of any sort is a work Of a sin
gle season or merely of swapping pollen
at random among a lot of scrub fruit
trees. The producer of hybrid fruit has
his failures as Beau Brummel had with
his neckties or as the famous oculist, who
averred that he had spoiled a hatful OF
eyes before he operated successfully on
one" An indication Of this Is shown In a
picture at the Agricultural Department,
taken in the Junk heap OF MIR. Bur-
banks California orchard. showing an i'm
| mense pile of raspberry. currant and black
berry canes. big as a small cottage. con-
tanning 100, 900 rejected specimens which had
developed nothing making them worth pre-
serving.
When one does produce an improved
fruit. however. 4. pays for a good many
failures. The catalogues of dealers In this
line seldom quote a new plant at less than
$500 or $500. while the control or several
new standard fruits. berries. plums,
| ounces and the like have been sold at as
high as 5000. This was I'm the earlier
years Of the industry. however. Recently