Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-14
IMPROVED PRODUCTS
Features of the Work of Department
of Agriculture.
fHECHANGES MADE IN TWENTY YEARS
Introduction of Hardy Cereals,
Fruits and Grasses.
THE GYPTIAN COTT O n

There is no feature of the work of the
Department of Agriculture in which the
Secretary or his ASSISTANTS take more pride
than that Of the introduction of new plants
into the United States and the Improvement
of those which are already grown IN TINS
country. 1t may be said that not one OF
the plants producing the great staple crops
of the United States are indigenous TO the
soil A few varieties of grapes, plums ana
berries are improvements upon those Whlch
were found growing wild by the settlers OF
two centuries ago, but none of the grains.
sugar canes rice, or other weL-knoWh
stables were known to Americans IN the
early days of white settlement. Inc IN
dians had a little corn, but even this, 1t Is
believed, was brought from Central Amer
lea and the grain itself is so old that its
origin has never been discovered. The
same may be said OF wheat though 1t is
probable that the latter originated In the
eastern Mediterranean regions
Since this work OF the department OF
Agriculture commenced the character OF
nearly all of the grains, practically all OF
the rice much Of the cotton and many 0!
the grasses have been entlreiy cnanseu
from that produced for market twenty
years ago Hardy and spring wheats have
been brought from Russia for use IN an
the northern states; date palms nave peeh
Egyptian cotton and Egyptian clover are
now being planted In many Oh the gun
states. and a seedless raisin grape mas
come to us from Italy. Up in Michigan
along the sandy lake shores a German clover
is being planted to hold the sand dunes IN
place against the prevailing winds Japan
has sent US a clover which is used extern
sively in the south for winter crop, ana a
score of improved vegetables have succeed
ed those which formerly grew in American
gardens.
HOnduran Rice Improbable
1t was not many years ago that all of the
rice grown in the United States was OF the
Honduran variety. This found to be
improbable. and the rice industry IAN
gu!shed perceptibly. The Department of
Agriculture took the matter up, and intro
duced the japan or krushu rice. which has
created such a revolution in rice growing
as to eliminate all other varieties. IL Is
claimed that at least s2oo'ppo nave peeh
invested in rice fields in Texas and LOUIS
lana since the introduction of the japanese
grain. 1t yields - per cent more 10 the
acre. and mills at least - per cent more
unbroken rice than did the Honduran va
rietv and has therefore. increased the rice
production per acre over 80 per cent. Inc
department has long since given up the rice
business to legitimate business enterprise,
for ii is a principle governing the introduce
ton of new plant that soon as a va
riety IS found desirable and is recognized
by the seedsmen the department withdraws
prise the opportunity of handling the busi-
ness.
Hardy Variety of Orange.
Growing just a short distance from the
agricultural building in Washington is
thick, horny hedge of orange trees, Citrus
trfoliata they called. The fruit is in
edible being small and bitter, but the
orange is hardy. growing to maturity as
far north as Philadelphia. The great frost
of 1898 in Florida. which destroyed so many
orange groves suggested to Secretary Will
son the great advantages which would FOL
low the discovery of a harder variety of
this fruit than Is now grown in this coun-
try. 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
department has succeeded in getting 1900
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 sweet
orange Will result, though there is still
some hope of that. II is thought, however,
that by again crossing this hybrid with the
sweet orange In time a marketable fruit
may be produced from tree which will
grow very much farther north than the one
known TO the orange groves OF the
country.
In the meantime however this hybrid
orange is and remarkably valuable
hedge plant, with evergreen foliage and
long thorns. making IL impenetratable
thcket. This I'm ftstelf, in the opinion of
Secretary Wilson. is sufficiently valuable
discovery to Justify the work already done,
but the experiment will be pushed to a
conclusion in the endeavOr to secure
hardy. sweet orange. As the Secretary
says, lone OF the marvels of the new con-
fury may be an orange tree bearing
ketable fruit which will thrive in the tenn
perate zone
Egyptian Cotton.
The importation of Egyptian cotton has
been watched with a great deal of inter
nv he oI-ip to a6
bility to the arid belt Of the United States.
In Egypt this cotton is irrigated. and the
purpose of its importation into the United
States is to find profitable crop for Ari-
IONA, New Mexico and Texas west of the
San Antonio river.
Winter muskmelonS are another curios-
ity which promise TO become commercially
valuable when grown in larger quantities.
These muskmelOns are grown ana mar
vested in the summer stored IN cellars ana
ripen sufficiently to be eaten about Christ
mas time Some of these melons have al
ready been grown in Colorado and give
considerable satisfaction. They do not look
much like the muskmelon now known to
the market gardener. but they are said
to be not only a novel. but very desir-
able addition to the winter bill of fare
They dark i'll color and elongated III
shape. weighing on an average from y to
IA pounds.
Hops and Barley.
The department is endeavorng to
Introduce into oregon ana w aSfington the
Bavarian and Bohemian brewing hops.
These sell for twice much as do the
American varieties and produce certain
qualities of beer now only secured in this
country by importation Experiments are
now being made field scale with the
Swedish brewing barley, which took the
grand prize at the Paris exposition. Amer
lean barleys are inferior in their brewing
qualities to many others, but Secretary
Wilson believes great results will obtain
from the experiments now being conduct
ed. In New England the farmers have
been supplied with several new kinds of
vegetables which have added to the profits
OF market growing and 10 the value of
the garden as a source of supply for the
home table
Improved Roads.
work recently taken up by the Sec
rotary on a rather large scale and in a
systematic manner Is that of the improve
rnent of country roads This he looks upon
as the principal work in hand for the
coming year. The United States has beer
divided into six districts Into each one OF
these districts an expert has been sent to
study the question of better roads. The
IS tl,A -,