The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-01-31

plant that as soon as variety is found
desirable and is recognized by the
seedsmen, the department. withdraws
from the field and leaves to private en-.
terprlse the opportunity of handling
the business.
Growing just short distance from
The agricultural building i'll Wushiny-
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 1886 in
Florida, which destroyed so many Or
ange groves, suggested to Secretary
Wilson the great advantages which
would follow the discovery of a harder
variety of this fruit than IS now grown
IN this county. 1t was decided to
produce a hybrid orange, crossing the
Florida plant with trifoliata, in the
endeavor to get sweet orange which
should be likewise hardy. The depart
ment has succeeded in getting 3 900 of
these hybrid plants. IT. is too soon to
say what the result will be with the
fruit. 1t is not believed, however.
that sweet orange will result, though
there ls still some hope Of that. 1t. is
thought, however, that by again CROSS
ing this hybrid with the sweet oraLge
time marketable fruit may be pro
duccd from 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 hy-
Drld orange is a new and remarkably
valuable hedge plant, with an ever
green foliage and long thorns, making
it an impenetrable thlcket. This in
itself, in the opinion of Secretary Will
son, is sufficiently valuable discovery
TO justify the work already done, but
the experiment will be pushed to
conclusion in the endcavor TO secure a
hardy sweet orange. AS the Secretary
says, One of the marvcls 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 great deal of
interest by the Secretary, owing to it's
adaptability to the arid belt of the
.iA'o" '1St''So' Ill i1SSpI IllS COIlOu
is irrigated, and the purpose of its i'm
porlation INTO the United States is to
find profitable crop for Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas west of the San
Antonio river.
Winter muskmclons are another
which promises to become
commercially valuable when grown in
larger quantities. These muskmclons
are grown and harvested in the sum-
mer, stored in cellars and ripencd suf
ficicntlY to be eaton about Christmas
time. Some Of these melons have al
ready been grown in Colorado and
give considerable satisfaction. They do
not look much like the muskmeon now
known to the market gardener, but
they are said to be not only q marvel,
but a very desirable addition to the
winter bill Of fale. They arc dark in
color and elongated in shape, weighing
on an average from twelve to fourteen
pounds.
The department is now endcavoring
10 Introduce into Oregon and WASH
ington the Bavarian and Bohemian
brewing hops. These sell for twice as
much as do the American varieties and
produce certain qualities of beer now
only secured in this country by impor-
tation. Experiments are now being
made on field scale with the Swedish
brewing barley, which took the grand
prize at the Paris Exposition.