The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-11

The grew into trees. and upon them
were produced the first navel oranges
ever seen in the United States. sims
from those trees We're sent to California
and Florida, and our enormous seedless
orange crop of today is the result. Not
long ago delegation OF California fruit
growers visited Washington. They. call
ed at the department garden. and one
of them said:
Those navel orange trees have Civ
en- more to the United States than the
cost of the Agricultural Department
since. its beginning.
NEW FRUITS FOR PORTO RICO.
Il should think that such things
might be grown in Porto Rico. Mr. Fair
child said L
Not the date. for that requires a
dry country" said Mr. Fairchild. But
the navel orange undoubtedly can be
grown there. Porto Rico is a virgin field
for plant Introduction. We are now
studying the tropical fruits TO see what
will grow there, and / think it is fair
TO say that that island will some time
be the tropical fruit garden for the
United States. 1t is not far from New
York, and the shipping facilities Will
grow better and better. One of the
fruits which we are introducing into
Porto Rico is the mango. We are
securing the world for the best vari-
cites and are planting them in various
parts Of Porto Rico. l don't know that
you realize that there is as much diff
ference in mangoes as there is in peach
eS and apples. / have seen some in East
Africa as large as a small cantaloupe,
finely favored and delicious. There
is mango with very thin seeds grown
in the Philippines, and there are other
mangoes with different flavors in other
parts of the tropics. a few years ago
bananas We're no more common in the
United States than they are now in
Germany. Mangoes will some day be
eaten all over this country. 1t is not
true, as has been stated. that the fruit
has so much juice that the only place
one can eat it is in the bathtub.
Another fruit which we are setting
out in Porto Rico is the mangosteen,
which grows in the East Indies, and
which is the delight of all travellers.
We shall have large quantity of trees
planted and hope that the arrange
ments will be such that the fruit can
be exported to the American cities 1
have kept mangosteens three weeks on
a steamer, and in cold storage cham
bers they could be preserved fresh for
a month. It is only about four days
from San Juan to New York. and there
is no reason why the fruit could not be
shipped from one place to the other"
ALMONDS FOR CALIFORNIA.
Are we doing anything in nat cul-
ture?''
Yes" said Mr.. Fairchild. 81 spent
some time a year or so ago looking for
almonds that might be grown success
fully in California and similar regions
I found that the Jordan almond was
the best variety for the sailed or burnt
almonds which are served on our dinner
tables. We are now spending a mil
lion and one-half dollars annually for
such almonds, and the demand is in
creasing rapidly. This Jordan almond
grows in the mountainous regions of
southern Spain. I visited that country
and brought back a great lot of scions
from bearing trees. These were sent
by the Agricultural Department to Call
fornia and used to bud and graft thou
sands of young trees there. Some of
the trees are already producing, and the
probability is that we shall grow all
we need. These Jordan almonds have
hard shells. The women and children
of the Spanish mountain villages crack
the nuts and take out the kernels for
shipment. When they are thoroughly
introduced here cracking machines will
do this work.
another nut which we ere introduce
ing said Mr. Fa1rchild, lis the cashew
nut, which grows in different parts of
Africa and elsewhere. 1t is served
roasted and will some day be far more
liked than the peanut is now. l think
the cashew tree can be grown in Porto
Rico.
BAMBOO TREES FOR AMERICA.
''One of the most important projects
in this line" continued Mr.. Fairchild,
lis the introduction of the Japanese
bamboo for the gulf states. Florida and
southern Texas. We have imported
thousands of bamboos and have placed
them in the hands of a few selected
men, who. it is thought, will be capable
of handling them. We hope that com
merciaI groves of bamboo timber can
be grown throughout the South, and
they will be as profitable there as they
are in Japan"
Give me some idea Of the hamboos
of Japan and the money in them?" l
asked.
1T would take a book to tell the
story" said Mr. Fairchild. There are
many varieties, used for all sorts of
purposes. The bamboo, you know, is
giant grass, which grows not only in
the tropics, but also in the upper re-
gions of the Andes and Himalayas,
which are covered with 6eep snow in
the winter The plant is found almost
everywhere in the Philippines, and the
different varieties may be introduced
into Porto Rico and Hawaii. Some of
the bamboos have edible shoots, which
look like giant asparagus sprouts and
may be cooked and eaten in the same
WAY They are a delicious Vegeta BILE