The suburban citizen., 1901-02-09
BIG CROPS ARE ALIEN
NOT ONE OF OUR GREAT STAPLE
PLANTS is INDIGENOUS.

the Department OF Agriculture IN
which the Secretary or his assistants
take more pride than that Of the in
PRODUCTION of new plants into the
United States, and the improvement
of those which are already grown in
this country, writes the Washington
correspondent of the New York Com
merclal Advertiser. 1t may be said
that not one Of the plants producing
the great staple crops Of the United
States is indigenous to the soil. A
few varieties Of grapes, plums and ber-
ries are improvements upon those
which We're found growing wild by the
settlers of two centuries ago, but none
of the grains, sugar canes, rice or any
other well-known staples were known
to Americans in the early days Of
little corn, but even this, it Il believed,
was brought from Central America,
and the grain Itself Is so old that its or
igin has never been discovered. The
same may be said of wheat though it
is probable that the latter originated
III the IIdhltlu 1CNl lltlad -ttAlA lGS AblANs
Since this work of the Department of
Agriculture commenced the character
of nearly all Of the grains. practically
all Of the rice, much Of tie cotton and
many of the grasses has been entirely
changed from that produced for mar
ket twenty years ago. Hardy and
spring wheats have been brought from
Russia for use IN all the Northern
States date palms have been brought
from Algeria TO grow ." Arizona, Egyp-
tian cotton and Egyptian clover are
now being planted in many Of the Gulf
States. and a seedleSs raisin grape has
come to us from Italy. Up in Michi-
gan, along the sandy lake shores. Il
German clover Is being planted to hold
the sand dunes in pace against the
prevailing winds Japan has sent MS
a clover which is used extensively in
the South for a winter crop, and
score of improved vegetables have sue
ceeded those which formerly grew in
American gardens.
ii 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 Improbable, and the
rice industry langulshed perceptlbly.
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
hoe
been invested in rice fields in Texas
and Louisiana since the Introduction
of the Japanese grain. 1t yields TWEEN
ty-fve per cent. more an acre and mills
at least twenty-five per cent more un-
broken rice than did the Honduran
variety, and has, therefore, increased
the rice production per acre over fifty
per cent. The department has long
since given up the rice business to
Legitimate business enterprise, for 1t
is a principle governing the intrOduc-
tion of a new plant that as soon as
variety is found desirable, and Is rec
Ognized by the seedsmen, the depart
ment withdraws from the field and
leaves to private enterprise the Oppor-
tunity of handling the business,
Growing just a short distance from
the agricultural building in Washing
ton is a thick, thorny hedge of orange
trees. Citrus Trlfollata theyare called.
The fruit is inedlble being small and
bitter, but the orange is hardy, grow
ing to maturity as far north as Phila-
delpha. The great frost Of 1898 in
Florida, which destroyed so many or
ange groves, suggested to Secretary
Wilson the great advantages which
would follow the discovery Of ahardier
variety of this fruit than is now grown
in this country 1t was decided to pro-
duce a hybrid orange, crossing the
Florida plant with a TrfOiat in the
endeavOr to get u sweet orange which
should be likewise hardy. The de-
partment has succeeded in getting 1000
OF these hybrid plants. 1t is TOO soon
yet to say what the result will be with
the fruit. 1t is not believed, however,
that a sweet orange will result, though
there is still some hope Of that. 1t is
though, however that by again cross
ing lnlS nyDflu Win the sweet orange
that IN time a marketable fruit may be
produced from tree which will grow
very much further north than the one
now known to the orange groves Of the
country.
In the meantime, however, this by.
brid orange Is new and remarkably
valuable hedge plant, with an ever
green foliage and long thorns, making
it an imp6netrable thicket This in IT.
self, in the opinion Of Secretary viii
son, is a sufficiently valuable discovery
to justify the work already done, but
the experiment will be pushed to
conclusion In the endeayOr to secure
hardy sweet orange. AS the Secretary
says zone of the marvels OF the new
century may be an orange tree bear
ing marketable fruit which will thrive
In the temperate zone"
The importation Of Egyptian cotton
has been watched with great deal Of
.Aa,.-u frafr 10. 70