The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-28
IMPROVED LETTUCE PLANTS.

The following from the Washington
Post will be of interest TO many of the
farmers and truck growers in this sec
ton of the country. We do not know
whether or not the lettuce producers
OF this section of the country have to
contend with this disease of the plant
At any rate we suppose they will be
interested in this report of expert
ments made by the government in the
production of a hardy lettuce. We
would advise our truckers to look into
this matter. Even If they have not
suffered from this disease in their let
tuce it would be well for them TO give it
the most careful attention, for there is
no telling when the blight here spoken
Of may appear in their beds. 1t would
be the part of good judgment to be
prepared for such a contingency. Ii
prepared for such a contingency. Its
general appearance in this section
would work great havoc with a very
great industry of Off section of the
country. A destruction Of II lettuce
r for one year would be a terrible
misfortune to a large part of b popu-
latiOn of this section. Our truckers
should lose no time in making thor
cugh investigation of this matter.
may appear in this important Nop. Be
on the safe side and secure seed
which will insure a crop that will not
he liable to destruction from this plant
pest.
There may be nothing in the matter
of concern to our people. On the other
hand it may be of great Importance to
them. We give them the information
TO be acted Oh by them as they see tit.
Dur purpose is to aid the farmers and
truckers in this matter by warning
them of what Ia be a menace to
this industry and pointing a way for
preventing it:
While the chrsyanthemum show was
IN progress in the agricultural depart
ment's greenhouses, mention was made
in The Post that certain experiment
tai work with lettuce had attracted
considerable notice among visitors.
Since then these experiments have pro-
crossed to q stage where the employees
Of the bureau of plant pathology are
free to speak more freely on the SUBJ
iect. and a FOst reporter was able yes
terday to Obtain the following facts
relative to this work.:
from $780, 900 to $4,000, 900 worth
of lettuce is produced every winter in
the United States by the process known
to growers as forcing. This is simply
bringing it to a state Of maturity
within a period very much shorter
than the plant would require if left
alone and growing in a state of nature.
Just as pigs and oxen are fattened and
attain a weight never realized in the
wild boar or bison, so, in order to earn
big profits, plants are made to develop
far more rapidly and to attain rOpOr
tons such as nature could not accom-
plish. This is done by artificial heat,
over-rich soil, and various tricks and
secrets known to gardeners. and plant
SPECIALISTS. AS a result. partly Of these
forcing methods. but more especially
to the fact that greenhouse gardeners
have failed to strengthen the stock Of
their plants by occasional crossings
with wild lettuce, nearly all the win
ter lettuce in the. United States has
become diseased, so that it is by no
means rare for a gardener to lose an
entire crop Of greenhouse lettuce by a
disease to which these overstrained
plants are particularly liable.
To remedy these evils DR.. Galloway,
chief Of the bureau of plant industry,
has been working for two seasons past,
and has succeeded in obtaining a crop
of winter lettuce plants that are i'm
mune to the lettuce disease. yet are at
the same time of large size and capable
Of developing as early as the most spe-
cialized Of winter lettuce. To do this
involved a great deal of work and
time. and the sacrifice of thousands of
plants. Seed of healthy winter lettuce
was planted. and when all was ready
the plants were crossed with wild let
tuce. OF its neXt-door neighbor, a va
riety free of disease. Millions Of seeds
Of these crOssbred plants were sown in
beds Of a thousand each. n out of
each thousand heads two OR three of
the largest and best were taken. While
the rest were DESTROYED. From these
extra large, early. and fine heads an
other crop was raised, from which
only the best were saved and it is from
these that seed will be furnished to the
CreenhouSemen Of the great cities,
thus saving from ruin the winter let
tuce industry. which for three years
past has been threatened with extinc-
ton.