The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-26
MISSOURI MAY
GROW ORANGES
Experiments of Department Of
Agriculture Produce Hardy
Tree.
WlTHSTANDS COLD WEATHER.
Search Is Also Being Made by
Means of Plant Breeding for
Il Wheat Plant More
Suitable.

Wyatt EuiIding 18th and r streets.
Washington. Dec 25.-The Department
Of Agriculture through its Bureau of
Plant Industry. has been conducting cx
reIiments which probably will play an
important part in the agricultural progress
OF the country. Missouri and the Middle
West especially will share i'll the hene-
tits
The theory of this work is that applied
in scientific stock raising. 1t is breeding.
Thoroughbred horses and cattle of to-day
are the result Of a process of selection,
often involving the crossing of breeds. En-
actly this is done with plants now that
the physical attributes of vegetable life
are scientifically understood.
The trend Of such investigation con-
Quoted with ideals of science in view
ould seem TO lead in a direction inter
estins enough. but not commercially perti-
nent. Congress and the practical relations
of the department To the farm. however,
exercise restraining influence on the
Government scientists
They are forced to consider commercial
factors, and money is not appropriated for
them to chase chimeras. The result is
that probable results of Il practical nature
are already in sight in several OF the lines
OF experimentation. Principal among the
latter have to do with fruits and the
cereals.
ORANGES FOR MISSOURI
The incst astonishing thing. no doubt,
which has come to this original work is
the fact that an orange tree has been de
IEeiup"d that will live in the climate OF
Inc discovery comes of dealing with the
II1plcfn of tnd,ilS Il hardy orange which
WI Min survive Il hard winter in Florida
Thousands invested in orange plaf,taiiorSs
have b""a swcnt away by enc severe frost.
often several years OF careful cultivation
neccssifN - bring tho Crchard to the
tuncs of the owu"rs have been lost
through unusual "i"n;& ~ the weather.
Numerous irtermiXtures have been t-iod
WIN VARYING degrees Of success. Notably
me Japanese orange has been crossed with
IN. Florida orange, resulting in Il tree AS
hardy as the Arkansas and Southern Mis-
souri, peach. 1t viii live through n winter
IN which the temperature goes to : de
Sr"eS below zero. 1t will not bear fruit
IN such years, but it will live This means |
That the tree can be introduced into Ar
kans;tS: Northern Texas oklahoma. In |
dlan Territory. Southern Missouri and !
Southern Kansas
NOT FOR TABLE USE,
The orange produced is not the sweet
fruit desirable for table use. 1t is sour.
though juicy But for marmalades. jelnes
and for flavoring purposes it is believed |
very we'll 1t possesses more Juice than /
the lemon and is not so extremely acid. |
Mark \. Carlton is the specialist il. |
charge of cereal Investigations under the |
bureau of Plant Industry. His office is !
the seGuestered corner of the labyrin;hiuc |
and scattered Department of Agriculture
Their" in the winter he conducts analysis. |
and makes cassications of the results So
hl- fri pf inn,
sta tions
His work is varied. but the most inter
esting phase of il lies in the interhrc.ding
Of the different varieties OF wheat oatS
and harley. He has even gone so far as
to cross wheat and rye. The result Go~S
not promise much commercially yet. but
he can show the grain, such it is, half
rye and half wheat.
NEW KIND OF WHEAT.
The practical possibilities of such exper-
iments was explained by him the other
day.
In Missouri" he said. you need a
wheat with q greater rust rcSiStancs. |
Your seasons pre- often wet ana the result
is Il soft or rusty grain. The product
would be much better If it partook of the
hard. glutinous character Of the wheat Of
Kansas.
1T is demonstrated that Il grain cannot
aways be successfully introduced The
grain of Kansas transplanted and grown
1nuer inc Inherent conditions Dl MISSOURI
into poorer quality than
that of the native wheat. Tire solution
les in introducing a strain of the Kansas
wheat into the Missouri wheat.
THE wheat plant has both the male
and female elements in it and the process
IF intefmngling varieties involves a deli
:ate surgical operation. In the youth Of
-be plant. continuing with the Missouri
case as illustratiou-the male pollen of
The native plant would be removed and
the female pollen of the Kansas or rust
resistant variety would he substituted.
Then in the course of growth fertiliza- |
ion would be accomplished. The logical
conclusion is that the resulting new va
-iety will have both its Missouri charac-
ter, by which it is adapted to the local
and also additional rIIst-rcsist-
ng strength
I'VE have not gotten very far toward
satisfactory results as yet.
It requires some years to follow an cx-
pertinent Of this kind to its emo We
nave produced several new varieties in
his manner, however. Still having them, |
several paintings are necessary to prove |
heir superior qualitics Nevertheless |
EEL confident in saving that the work in
ime will compensate US for the time and
Energy expended upon it,
xf5,OOO,OOO.