Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-29
NEW KIND OF ORANGE
It Represents Six Years Of
Experiment and Labor.
WILL STAND FROST
SECRETARY WILSON'S EFFORTS
CROWNED WITH SUCCESS.
DIR. Galloway Much Pleased With What
the Plant Breeders Of the Depart
ment Have Accomplished.
BY VIM. E. CURTIS,

BY VIM E. CURTIS,
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
Secretary Wilson had new kind Of
orange for his Thanksgiving dinner, and
he ate it with great satisfaction. because
it represented six years of labor, care ana
cultivation. The great freeze" of 1896 de-
stroyed more than half of the orange
groves of Florida and wiped out nearly
half the wealth of that state. 1t taught
great lesson and convinced those who were
in the fruit business that the future pros
perity depended upon the discovery OF an
orange that could endure cold weather.
One of the first official acts of Secretary
Wilson, when he came into the Agricul-
tural Department in 1897, was to confer
with DR.. Galloway, chief Of the bureau OF
plant industry, and instruct him to under
take the duty of finding a frost-resistant
Experiments began at once and their hopes
were based upon the possibilities of
little, hardy plant, native of Japan,
which bears a worthless fruit, but has lots
OF vitality and endurance and is used ex-
tensively throughout the north for hedges.
1t grows rapidly in any kind of SOIL, ana
will survive any amount of cold and is
familiar as the Japanese orange, the mock
orange. the Trifoliata orange. and by sew
eral different names.
Experiments of Plant-Breeders.
The plant breeders of the Agricultural
Department took that and the sweet navel
orange of the Indian river and sprinkled
the pollen of one upon the blossoms of the
other The result was a series of hybrids
of many variations and peculiarites. Some
were evergreen, like the orange trees of
Florida: others shed their foliage in the
fall like the Japarese hedges. Some had
short thorns, some long thorns and, some
had no thorns at all. Some had trifoliage
leaves, while the leaves of the others were
round, oblong and oval.
Between 25,GO0 and 10000 seedlings were
transplanted from the Washington propa-
eating houses to the warm soil of Florida,
and in 1900, as soon as they were large
enough, the small trees were distributed
throughout the gulf states and the Carroll
mas to test their endurance of cold as low
zero. In order to hasten their fruiting
growing trees were budded and grated and
all of the tricks known to botanists and
nurserymen We're resorted to- Last year
they began to bear fruit, and produced
great variety in size, shape, color fiber and
flavor Nearly all ofzthose SO far produced
are palatable, but most of them are tart
and have a bitter twang,i resembling the
japanese pomelo more closely than the
American orange. The pomelo resembles
the grape fruit, and is a great favorite on
the breakfast tables of Japan. Almost all
of the fruit produced last year proved to be
SultdDlc 1OT IIldTHldldQeS anu OCneT pre-
serves, and among them two specimens
were selected as the most valuable and use
full breakfast fruits. They resemble the
japanese pomelo very closely, and Secre-
tary Wilson and DIR. Galloway are con-
WINGED that they will rapidly become popu-
lar and pay large profits to the growers.
Two New Fruits.
These two new fruits have been christened
as 1.-The Rusk" and 1.-THE Willett," in honor
of he Iata for Pnc o,,d ba Lott
sistant Secretary Willett of the Department
of Agriculture. Several thousand young
trees will be distributed free of cost among
the experimental stations, reliable nursery
men and competent fruit growers in the
southern states, and it is expected that the
Rusk and the Willett will find their way
into the northern markets in a few years.
They're 60" said Secretary Wilson.
"They can be grown in every back yard
south of the Ohio and Potomac rivers, and
viii make an excellent home fruit, as well
as an orchard fruit, and a popular foliage
plant, as well as money-getter."
This fall more of the seedlings are fruit
Ing and increasing still further the variety
of the products of the union between the
Japanese and the Indian river oranges
Among the several freaks the officials of
the Agricultural Department were delighted
to find several large, luscious, sweet
oranges, full OF juice and of flavor equal
to any that were ever grown In Florida or
the western states. Samples were received
just in time for Secretary Wilson's Thanks
giving dinner. and he regards them as suffi-
GENTLY important to have been mentioned
in the Presidents Thanksgiving proclama.
ton.
Substitute for Indian River Orange.
While the returns are not yet sufficient to
justify predictions, he is convinced that the
plant breeders of the department have pro-
duced substitute for the Indian river
orange that will be just as palatabIe and
tough enough to endure any frost that may
ever visit the gulf states. Samples have
come from regions where the ordinary Flor
ida orange could not possibly survive and
If the convictions of Dr. Galloway and his
assistants prove to be well founded another
valuable staple has been discovered which
will add to the wealth of all the states
south of Mason and Dixon's line. The
young trees have already endured four win
ters, III which the temperature frequently
went as low as six degrees above Zero
without suffering the slightest injury and
that will bring them within the reach of all
of the South Atlantic and gulf states and
the lower attitudes of Tennessee, Kentucky
and Arkansas.
DR.. Galloway's Verdict.
sWhen we cross different kinds of
plants" said DR.. Galloway, "the result is
the same as will occur in crossing different
kinds of human beings. No two men or
women are dnkes no TWO nOfSeS or dogs are
alike; and there is just as great a variety
among plants. Our experience in the prop
agating gardens teaches us to expect most
anything in hybridizing. Some of the re-
Suits and often most of them, are entirely
worthless, and we are always thankful
when we get hold of something useful and
valuable. Hybridizing always produces
freaks and plants cf marked individuality.
"Our orange experiments we consider re-
markably successful. Only portion Of our
trees have Muited. and we do not know
what we shall get when the returns are all
In; but thus far we have four distinct re-
suits that are extremely gratifying and of
unusual economic value. In the first place,
we have tart and bitter orange that is not
suitable for the table. but makes the best
marmalade you ever tasted. Second, we
have q tart fruit with beautiful flavor
that is every bit as good as grapefruit. and
will be quite popular for table use. Third
we have fruit as sour as a lemon and full
OF juice of equally good navor. which will
make good substitute for the lemon which