The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-04
A VAL LIABLE
COLLECTION
Rare Economic Plants
and Seeds.
'OF VALUE TO FARMERS
Barbour Lattrop Who Gave Collec-
ton to Deparrm- MT of Agri-
culture Here.

past three weeks TINS city has sheltered
a man whose name is well known tf
1.-The farmers throughout the Unitec
States as one who has done much te
ipromote the agricultural interests OF
the country, and that too, without any
remuneration for his arduous labors.
For the past two years Mr.. Barbour
lLathrop of Chicago has devoted his
time and his money to obtaining col
Election of rare economic plants and
seeds, and to accomplish that end has
made a complete tour of the world, Wis,
lifting many unfrequented countries an6
venturing in search of information
where explorers have not even set foot
Mr.. Lathrop is an old-time' newspaper
man, having served his apprenticeship
ion the local staff of the San Francisco
Call many years ago, and since thai
time has been connected with the most
prominent journals in the world. Ar
irving here On the Alameda, Mr. Lath.
Erop has been busy following up his
chosen work, but has managed to find
time to make many acquaintance ir
this city. A member of many of the
principal clubs in the States and q
thorough Bohemian, he has a fund OF
rare stories of his travels at his com
Imand that are of more than usual in
lterest
The following extract is taken from
the Chicago Times-Herald of Janu-
airy Z:
One of the most remarkable collec-
Itions of rare economic plants and seeds
IS now being worked up by the Depart
lment of Agriculture. Barbour Lathrop
of Chicago, with David G. Fairchild as
assistant, recently completed a tour OF
the world covering a period of two
years and embracing travels which
amounted to explorations. Mr.. Lathrop
has given the results of the expedition,
undertaken at his own expense, to the
farmers of the United States through
the medium of the section of seed and
plant Introduction of the Department OF
agriculture.
! The expedition left New York Deem
iber 81, 1898, and returned last fall, hav-
! ing visited in order the following coun-
tries and sent in from each living eco
nomic plants and seeds for cultivation
by America farmers and horticulturists
Jamaica, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad
in the West Indies; Venezuela, Colon
ibia, Ecuador, Peru, Chill, Argentine
Brazil, in South America; Portugal, Ty-
rol and Bohemia, in Austria-Hungary,
Italy, Egypt, Ceylon and Straits Settle
ment in farther India; Java, CeIebes
Amboina, Banda, Lombok, Bali. Moluc-
cas-, Aru and Kei Islands, Tenfmbei
Archipelago and New Guinea in the
Dutch East Indies; Hongkong, Canton
in south China; the Philippine Islands
I Bankok Siam; Sweden and Finland IL
northern Europe.
EXPEDITION WAS COSTLY.
Many thousands of dollars have beer
tSna hyy Mr. T.at
ton, and he put into it some of the bes
Thoughts of a practical man who is aliv,
to the general wants of his countrymen
He is not an agriculturist, and intruStes
the technical part of the work to his as
Isistant, Mr.. Fairchild, who was detail
ed by Secretary Wilson from his posi-
ton in charge of the section of seed an.
plant Introduction.
The trip was primarily planned b,
Mr.. Lathrop TO be one of reconnaissance
The object in the first place was to hnt
out what each country offered In in
ducements for exploration work, how i
should be entered and studied, whom o
its inhabitants could be relied upon q
correspondents, and what would be tn
probable expense of an exhaustive stud.
from the standpoint of plant introduc
ton. This object has been attained an,
lis embedded in a mass of notes ant
piles of publications and notebooks, etc
The secondary aim of the expedition
was to purchase and import for tria
such promising seeds and plants a
were suited for culture in various part
of the United States. The material thu
purchased has not all come in yet bu
the main part has been distributed o
will shortly be sent out by the depart
, rnent to the various experiment sta
stions and private experimenters for tria
: and report.
LIST OF SEEDS AND PLANTS.
over 45O different purchases were sen
in from the various countries, each pur
chase accompanied by careful notes o.
IT'S culture and the climatic soil condi
tons to which the plant or seed wa
best adapted. The annoted list has bee
in part published or is in process Of pub
LEGATION by the section of seed an
plant introduction, and covers wId
: range OF horticultural and agriculture
! plants suited to variety of condition
from the tropical surroundings of Port
i Rico and Hawaii to the arctic climate o
D Alaska
It viii be of interest to point out som
: of the prospects of these introduce
|, plants and the reasons for their trial:
s A spinelss succulenI cactus OF the Ar
e gentine suitable for fodder purposes i
the desert regions of Arizona.
a series OF w est Indian yaMS, one
which at least is superior in flavor t
), the Irish potato Suitable for cultur
in Florida and Louisiana, but demand
ing special care and a special market.
The Alexandrian clover from Egypi
a late fodder crop for irrigated lands l
Southern California and Arizona.
Some of the finest varieties of Bohs
milan hops to replace the culture of II
lferior sorts now almost exclusivei
L igrown in America.
: Varieties OF ''pedigreed' barleys. orig
: mated in Sweden and of superior yalu
n for brewing purposes.
0 Fine West Indian manages and supt
rior sorts of East Indian bananas fo
: culture in Porto Rico.
An evergreen poplar from Chile &c
the Pacific Slope.
}. A frost hardy alligator pear for tn
; looming industry of this fruit growing
Florida and California.
II The Lapland sx-rowed barley and tn
early ripening Finnish black oat for e.
Iperiments in Alaska and short seaso
i regions.
!; Chilean alfalfa varieties for breedin
s experiments.
: Several novel Swedish leguminor
llclover-like) fodder plants lately brougt