The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-01-15

mented UpOn-NOt New Idea.
The return of Prof Swingle from his
mission in Asia and northern Africa and
the publication in the annual report Of the
Department of Agriculture Of the results Of
his expedition in collecting desirable plants
for acclimatization in this country, have
attracted much attention in the seed and
plant trade. How important this trade is
in the United States few who are not con-
uected with it are likely to be aware.
Il Is not generally known. for Instance.
that one New York firm sends eucalyptus
plants not only to various European eoun-
tries where they are in great demand for
planting in swamp places. but even 10
Australia. where the trees are indigenous
The reason for this is that the eucalyp
tus seeds better in certain parts OF th;s
country than it does anywhere else The
same firm annually exports considerable
quantities OF tree seeds to the order OF the
japanese Government.
The Importation OF foreign plants into
this country" says an expert. and the
making of experiments to see which yarie-
ties will thrive here and which will not
have really been going on much longer
than is generally supposed. As an exam
pie OF that take the European chestnut
the nut OF which as YOU know. is much
larger than the native American, though
the Amercin is sweeter.
Between the increased importation and
the increased cultivation OF the foreign va
riety of late it has come 20 be regarded
as something comparatively new ia this
country. As a matter Of fact. the European
chestnut was brought TO America and
planted at Bergen Point in 1893 by Dupont.
who had a mission here from the French
Academy Of Sciences. and remained here 10
found a very we'll known Delaware family. "
The trade does not aspire to the reputa-
tion Of purely patriotic motives in this
work of introducing new. useful. and Orna-
mental plants. The manager Of famous
and long established firm put the case
frankly like this:
The inducement 10 spend time and
money in collecting valuable and little
known plants from all over the world is
advertisement Here is a plant from
which We have just taken seeds ana intro
duced il in our catalogue for this year.
The direct profit from the sale OF those
seeds viii hardly pay us for the expense Of
that COlOred plate Of It, But the adver-
Using We get from the coupling Of our
name with this new plant is worth all our
| outlay from first to last. In that way the
competition between different firms in the
/ United States, and the competition between
/ American and European firms too. keeps
I us alive 10 every chance Of a new variety.
J In this matter OF introducing novelties, -
/ he continued. Il don't see how any one
/ whether a private firm or a representative
/ Of the Department OF Agriculture-can
/ possibly Introduce a new species with any
| success at this late date The most that
I ha is 4
( varieties OF species already known. When
/ ever supposed new thing is brought here
| from abroad IL turns out that either the
| species is unsuited 70 our conditions or else
/ il has been already cultivated here for some
/ time past under another and more familiar
! name.
~one important thing 20 be remembered
| in that connection is that a scotsman
] hardly ever puts a new seed on the market
/ just as he imports il. Not to mention that
! that would. as a rule. leave him a small
margin for profit. il is necessary for his
| trade reputation frst to make quite sure
! that the new thing will do well in Ameri-
! can soil.
| The first seeds TO arrive are planted out
and carefully cultivated and watched. and
/ the first seeds to be sold are the produce
/ OF plants grown in the seedsman's own
| grounds. Now il often happens that a
/ good deal Of selection. perhaps hybridiz3-
] ton, is necessary before a seed suitable for
American cultivation is obtained. and then
/ the result is put upon the market under
a different name from what IL had when il
/ first arrived
Many OF the new varieties. however.
! are themselves the result OF cultivation.
/ Here. for instance. is a lettuce which one
/ OF our agents found growing in a French
garden; he told us that the variety had
/ no name OF its own over there and so we
/ have given IL our own name. Here is a
/ vegetable which was produced by cultiva-
1 tion in the gardens Of customer OF ours
| in Australia.
The Japanese pear. I believe. We in
| PRODUCED into this country as well as the
| Castanea sinensis. commonly called the
| Japar csc chestnut. though that is also
| cultivated in Europe. But many OF the
varieties brought here from countries
where horticulture is not in an advanced
state have since been so improved and
differentiated that IL is hard to recognize
new specimens when they are bought here
as the )OOr relations Of the superior plants
that have long been well known in this
country.
That may very we'll have been the case
with the melons which a Government
agent brought from Armenia some time
ago. after he had been securing all that
part OF Asia for new fruits 20 acclimatiLe.
the new melon proved inferior to our own.
but very likely some OF our own varietie
had been developed from the same original
stock"
The members OF the trade are not at all
ready TO mention definitely any particular
foreign fruit which has been introduced
to American soil by one OF themselves.
| This fact is amply accounted for not only
by toe reasons indicated in the converse
ton just quoted, but also by the assertion
that standardization of foreign plants has
been going on so long in this country that
where there are many possible claimants
for the honor of introducing this or that
variety il is not easy to decide who really
was its original sponsor.
As many varieties have been introduced
independently by several different grow
ers. il is hardly worth while trying to de-
eide the question at all. But the general
opinion ia the trade evidently is that anv
new species which can be brought 10
America now is pretty sure to prove not
worth cutiyating. like the Saghalien for
age plant, successfully acclimatiZed some
time ago, which American stock refused
to eat.