The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1902-01-03
Romances Of Agriculture.

IOT meHldl tHOTJ b0Oulu READ
Secretary Wilson's latest report.
There be will find the outlines of
scores OF real romances of
achievement, with the world for
their scene and the most patient
and acute minds as their actors
A few years ago a frost, such
as living men had not known.
swept away the orange groves
of Florida. To many this was u
calamity without a remedy.
They could see nothing to do but
to replace the blasted trees and
hope that such Il frost would not
soon occur again. But the
scientific experts said: Let US
hnd or make an orange tree that
will resist frost" Over in
japan they found the tree, but
its fruit was of little value. So
they set to work 10 com bine this
Japanese tree with the Florida
sweet orange. They have pro
duced the hardest orange tree
known, and are confident that in
a few years they will have fruit
both resistant to frost and of
good quality.
Rice has been grown in Louisi.
ana for a hundred years. but the
Weld seemed to be diminishing
and the Industry was dwindlipg
About three years ago the agri
cultural department suggested
the substitution OF the Japa nese
rice plant Tor that formerly
grown. The experiment was SO
that the production
this year exceeded that of 1899
by 100000 pounds, and i'm
ports OF rice have fallen from
1854 600, 900 to $4,000, 1000 pounds.
About $20,000,000 new capital
has been invested in the Gulf
coast rice industry.
Coffee has long been the small
Porto Rican farmers chief
money crop. Though little
known in this country. Porto
Rican coffee is in steady demand
a. high prices IN Europe. Soon
after Porto Rico became Ameri
can our experts began studying
coffee culture They speedily
found that the Porto Ricans
we're shading their coffee plants
100 much-thst the shade was
not necessary in itself and that
it's chief value was in the effect
on the soil OF the roots of the
legumInous trees which supplied
it. Better methods have been
suggested which are expected to
double or treble Porto Rico's
coffee crop.
The cold and dry winters OF
the northern great plains States
have frequently killed the grass
and so curtailed pastu rage that
heavy loss of livestock resulted.
In Russia the Agricultural de
partment has found a grass and
in Turkestan an alfalfa which
stand cold and drouth better
than any previously known here.
The former has proved perfect.
~ hardy clear up in North
Dakota aud assures the farmers
there both pasturage and hay,
Not long ago an insect known
as the "San Jose scale" was
found TO be numerous and de.
structive in the California
orchards. Several European
countries took alarm and adopt
ed measures which threa tened
greatly to curtail our foreign
fruit trade. Reasoning from
such past experience as that of
the RABBIT and the thistle in
Australia. it was seen that the
reason this scale was so destruc
tive was that it had reached q
country where it's natural enc.
mics did not exist to keep it in
check.
Then a worldwide search for
this insects nome and natural
enemy began. Both were found
in North China. There the scale
infested all sorts of fruit trees,
but did no extensive damage
because a beetle kept it's mum
bers within bounds. So this
beetle has been brought across
the Pacific and set TO work upon
its natural prey, and California
fruit growers are feeling much
more cheerful than they felt u
few years ago.
Such are few Of tho achieve
ments Of scientific intelligence
TO the farming industry.
They justify, although on other
grounds than his, Cato's saying
That agriculture was the pursuit
most worthy OF the good citizen.
For they prove that in farming
operations there is scope for the
most painstaking research and
the most acute thought of which
the human mind is capable.
They show that those who talk of
OF farming as "a dull and unin.