The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-24
ANEW ORANGE MADE
Wonderful Story Of Some Scientific
Breeding Experiments at
al Washington. 4 =.
A Variety Is Worked Out Which
Will Stand Frosts and Wintry
49,. Weather. T.,

From, The Journal Bureau. Room, Is. FeA
B,,ilding, Warrington.
Washington. Nov. ga ne wvariety OF
orange-a variety which will grow fur
Their north. and not be killed by frosts and
winter weather-has been achieved by the
scientists of the governments department
Of agriculture. The new orange is the
product Of scientific breeding experiments.
1t is what is known as a hybrid, being
the offspring Of a union OF two widely
differing species. One parent is, an ever
green hedge which flourishes through Sc
we're winters, but has never produced edl-
bic fruit: the other parent is the common
sweet orange Of Florida. The new variety
combines some of the edible quantles OIL
the Florida orange with some OF the hardy
traits of the Japanese Trifohate. when IS
the name Of the hedge plant For nearly
ten years the experts Of the plant oreed-
ing bureau have been laboring and waiting
for this result. This fall the little seed
ling trees have borne their first fruit
Professor Herbert j. Weber and Albert
r. Woods who have been working on the
matter. are elated. They scarcely hoped
for such successful results in the first
generation. The orange which they have
is a unique and very promising fruit. 1t
fs about the size of a tangerine, with thin
skin and juicy. fne-teXtured pulp, and,
what is very important, it takes after its
Florida parent in being quite free from
seeds. 1t has an aromatic, spicy flavor,
which is like neither the orange nor the
lemon but will be delicious for all kinds
of drinks and probably for a breakfast
relish or salad. But the all-important
thing is that it will grow on hardy tree.
Instead Of orange growing being confined
10 Florida and lower California. a new belt
of orange territory will be stretched from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. 1t will not be
many years before there will be orange Or
chards in Georgia. the Carolinas, Alabama.
Mississippi, Arkansas. Texas. and many
other states of the south. 1t is not un-
likely that the new variety of orange Will
grow as far north as Washington. d. c.,
as the Trifoliate fiourishes here, and its
original home was Japan, whence the
original slips were secured. 1T Will take
q number of years to determine just how
far north the variety Of tree will
grow without schiller in the winter; but
there is no possible question in the minds
of the government authorities that the
orange belt will be many hundreds Of
miles further north than it now is.
The new orange is the product of the
Joint iabors Of Walter T. Swingle and
Herbert J. Weber, who began five or six
years ago making the experiment which
has now eliminated 50 happily. The agri-
cultural department was impelled to UNI
dertake the work by the tremendous losses
which had been suffered in Florida in
consequence of the heavy freezes twelve
years ago. when fortunes were swept away
by the destruction of the orange groves.
Mr. Swingle and Mr.. Weber reasoned
that. if a cross could be secured with the
Trifolate. which is renowned for its quail
flies of hardness, the terror OF frOsts
might be done away, and great source OF
wealth added to the country. But the
Trifolate is a widely differing species OF
the orange. Compared with the ordinary
orange. it would hardly be recognized as
belonging to the same family Its fruit
IS about the size of a small plum, and it is
quite unfit for eating. Inside it is full Of
big, hard seeds. and the taste is very bit
ter The skin IS smooth and ciliated,
very unlike the porous skin Of the ordi-
nary orange. The main difficulty. how
ever. was the difficulty Of getting such
widely differing species to cross. In the
matter Of cross-b breeding nature has estab-
lished limits, and these limits are trans
crossed with great reluctance. Closely
related species do not hesitate to cross;
but where tho two varieties have grown
for many centuries in widely different en-
vironments, until they have hardly any
traits in common it is hard to make them
intermarry.
Messrs. Weber and Swingle made
hundreds-yes thousands-of efforts to
cross these two, which were wholly abor-
tive. In most cases the flowers produced
no fruit In several instances the fruit
Jailed to mature. And, after fruit had
been formed, and the seeds carefully ex-
tracted and planted, most of the seeds
failed to terminate. So 1t was quite a
triumph when their patient labors were
rewarded with half dozen little Seeding
trees. These were cherished and given
the best possible chance to come to the
bearing stage, and when the first little
fruits began to form on them it may be
IMAGINED with what anxiety they were
watched. Until this fall nothing was
known as to what the hybrid might be
like. 1t might have taken after the tri-
foliate too strongly and set small worth
less fruit, or 1t might have failed to bear
any fruit. Hybrids are a very uncertain
quantity For two three general tons
they may be expected to take all kinds
of freak forms. And this very fact induces
the scientists to hope for even better
things in the fruit which may be grown
from the seeds Of these new oranges. Now
that a. start has been made. an infinite
variety can be worked out from it. BY
crossing this orange with the Florida va
rlety again, more sweetness and size car
be bred in the offspring. Or, by blending
a strain Of this hybrid. into the Florida
given to that sort. The beauty Of breed
Ing new orange is the fact that only one
tree is necessary; when that is secured
the variety may be multiplied infnitel,
by grating the slips on other trees. It is
for this reason that the department feel:
justified in announcing that it's expert
ment has been already successful. 1t is
certain that one new variety of value
has been achieved by the crossing process
There are other seedlings which are du,
to bear next fall, and among them there
may be even more valuable results. Blu
there Is enough in this discovery as nov
known to revolutionize the orange in
dustry. This is frankly acknowledged b,
the plant breeding scientists
The new hybrid orange tree is differen
from both parents. 1t Is pronounced b,
those who have seen it growing, and win
are familiar with the ordinary orange, ;
weird monstrosity." 1t is not exactl,
that. but it is very different. It has tn
spiney growths like the Japanese orange