The daily tribune., 1906-03-16
BeRseeM.
Believed Orost Value 10 Certain Of Our


ing upon the work Of the Department
In the collection and distribution of ex-
perimcntal seeds and plants which
contains much Of interest. The Secre
tary says to the committee:
"I am pleased to give you . state
ment showing In general way the I'm.
portance of the work Of seed and plant
introduc> IN to this Department and
to the agriculture Of the United Statea
The appropriation for 1906 is $290.000.
which will be practically all used In
this work"
In Touch With the Farmers. y
Through the medium Of the distribu-
tion Of seeds and plants, the Secretary
continues, the Department workers put
into practice the discoveries which they
may have made in the laboratories and
in their field work. He mentions tho
distribution Of disease resistant cotton
seed to such portions Of the south as
are affected with the cotton wilt dis
ease. The annual loss to the south
from this disease will easily reach
S600, 900, and the Department has done
much to reduce or prevent this loss at
cost Of net more than 81, 900 for the
seed and experimental work. The In
PRODUCTION Of some of the hardy
oranges developed by the workers In
the Bureau of Plant Industry ia another
similar Illustration. BY u series of
cpossbreeding experiments between the
ordinary sweet orange and the hardy
japanese cstus trtfolidta, a very valu-
able and semi-hardy orange has been
produced. which will probably grow
almost a. far north as Washington. II
II expected that with several more SEN
erations OF improvement. an orange
practically equal to the ordinary type
Of Florida or California orange will bo
able to Withstand comparatively severe
freezing weather. Through the CO.
Plant Investigation with the Once of
Seed and Plant Introduction and Dis
tribution, We arc endeavoring to in
troduce into the United States the cul-
ture Of . number Of different drug
plants the annual importation Of which
At the present time runs into millions
Of dollars In value. II is this prin-
ciple Of cooperation which renders ths
work of particular value to the Dep9ft
ment itself and Of course enables the
Department TO do better work for the
country At large.
Great Value from Small Expenditures
"In regard 10 the value Of this WORK
to the United States, m my opinion" !"
the Secretary says. there can be NO
doubt that the distribution of seeds
from the time the work was nrst b.
hum, introduced In the early sixties at
Ance In the development Of our agricul.
ture. The rnther hasty survey Of the
old records that the time At our dis
posal han permitted, shows that the D..
rartment has been helpful in the In
PRODUCTION Of many Of the crops that
ara at present considered tho most vAl-
liable in the Uaited States. AmeAg
these may be mentioned the Fults aAd
other varieties OF wheat: Chinese ses.
gum. introduced IN the early sixties At
q cost Of about $4,000 and now worth
easily many millions Of dollars an.
nually to the country; KafIlr corn. the
Introduction Of which cost the Depart
mcnt not moro than $1,000. OF which
the annual value at present II estimat-
ed to be about 100000. 900: macareui
wheat on which. during the past three
ysars. We have expended about $4,000.
aAd which has enabled the farmers Of
he arid west TO Grow crops worth
from q. .00o, 900 10 e7,000,O00 on lands
% which they could not grow the or
6fnafy varieties Of wheat: Japaaaee
rSoe, which has besn q large fAetor n
~ pAsnomsnal growth q the rice In.
1nDe5y b Tsxas and LouisiasA The
nnlrn1D Devoted 70 this has increased