The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-01-23
INTRODUCING NEW PLANTS
Valuable Products Brought to This
Country by Department of Agr1-
culture

country by department OF Agr1
culture.
There is no feature of the work O
the Department of Agriculture in whicl
the Secretary and his assistants take
more pride than that of the introduc
ton Of new plants into the Unite,
States and the Improvement of those
which are already grown in this coun
try. 1t may be said that not one OF
the plants producing the great staple
crops OF the United states are indigen-
Gus to the soil. "A few varieties OF
grapes, plumS and berries are improve.
mcnts upon those which were found
growing wild ~ the settlers of two
centuries ago but none of the grams,
sugar canes, rice, or other well known
staples were fnown TO Americans in
the early days of white settlement.
| The Indians had little corn, but even
| THIS, 1t is believed, was brought from
Central America, and the grain itself
Is 80 old that It's origin has never been
discovered. The same may be sald of
wheat, though it is probable that the
latter originated in the Eastern Medi-
terrancan regions.
OF Agriculture commenced the charac-
ter OF nearly all Of the grains, practi-
cally all Of the rice, much of the cot
ton and many Of the grasses have been
entirely changed from that produced
for market twenty years ago. Hardy
and spring whcats have been brought
from Russia for use in all the North
ern States ; date palms have been
brought from Algeria 10 grow in Arr
zona Egg ptian cotton and Egyptian
clover are now being planted in many
OF the Gulf States, and a sepdless
ralsln grape mas come to us from Italy.
Up IN Michigan along the sandy lake
shores German clover is being plant.
ed to hold the sand dunes in place
against the prevailing winds. Japan
has sent us clover which is used eX-
tensiNc.y in the South for winter
crop, aud score of improved vegcta-
b.es have succeeded those which for
merly grew in American gardens.
1t was not many years ago that all
OF The rice grown in the United States
was Of the Honduran variety. This
was found to be unprolitable, and the
rice industry languishcd perceptibly.
The Department OF Agriculture took
the matter up, and introduced the ia
pan or krushu rice, which has created
such revolution in rice growing as
to eliminate all other varieties. 1t is
claimed that at least $50 900 900 have
been invested in rice fields in Texas
and Louisiana since the introduction
OF the japanese grain. 1t yields 25
per cent. more to the acre, and mills
at least 20 per cent. nOrc unbrokcn
rice than did the Ilonduran variety,
and has, therefore, increased the rice
production per acre over 80 per cent.
The department has long since given
up the rice business TO legitimate bust
ness enterprise, for ii is a principle
governing the introduction of new
plant that as soon as a variety is found
desirable and is recognized by the
sccdsmcn, the department withdraws
from the field and leaves to private en-
tcrprisc the opportunity of handling
the business.
Growing just short distance from
the agricultural building in Washing.
ton Is thick, horny hedge of orange
trees, Citrus trlfoliata they are called
The fruit is incdiblc, beng small and
bitter, but the orange is hardy, grow
ing TO maturity as far North as Phila
delphla. The great frost of 1896 i'm
Florida, which destroyed so many or
angc groves, suggested to Secretary
Wilson the great advantages which
would follow the discovery of harder
variety of this fruit than Is now grown
IN this country. 1t was decided to
produce hybrid orange, crossing the
Florida plant with Il trifoliata, in the
endeavor to get sweet orange which
should be likewise hardy. The depart
mcnt has succeeded in getting 3 900 of
these hybrid plants. 1t is too soon to
say what the result will be with the
fruit. 1t is not believed, however,
that Il sweet orange will result though
there is still some hope of that. 1t is
thought, however, that by again cross
ing this hybrid with the sweet orange
III time marketable fruit NAV be pro.
duccd from a tree which will grow
very much farther North than the one
now known to the orange groves of
the country.
In the meantime, however, this hv-
brid orange is a new and remarkably
valuable hedge plant, with an ever
green foliage and long thorns, making
it an impcnctrabc thlckct. This in
itself, in the opinion of Secretary Wi.
son, is a sufficiently valuable discovery
to Justify the work already done, but
the experiment will be pushed to a
conclusion in the cndcavor TO secure n
hardy sweet orange. AS the Secretary
says, " One of the marvcs of the new
century may be an orange tree bearing
marketable fruit which will thrive in
the temperate zone"
The Importation of Egyptian cotton
has been watched with Il great deal of
interest by the Secretary, owing to its
adaptability to the arid belt of the
United States. In Egypt this cotton
is irrigated, and the purpose of its i'm
porlation INTO the United States is to
find a profitable crop for Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas west Of the San
Antonio river.
Winter muskmclons are another
curiosity which promises to become
commercially valuable when grown in
larger quantities. These muskmclons
are grown aud harvested in the sum.
mer, stored in cellars and ripened suf-
! ficiently to be eaton about Christmas
/ tune. Some of these melons have al
ready been grown in Colorado and
give considerable satisfaction. They do
not look much like the muskmclon now
known to the market gardener, but
a L 4