The Florida agriculturist., 1907-07-03
Wild Plant Improvement.

Improvement of wild plants. The
same is true of the 252 leading botanic
gardens and arboreta. This unoccu-
pied field was called to the attention of
the officials of the bureau and a pro-
posal made that the gardens which
had been secured at personal expense
for the care of the grape and other
hybrid plants be designated Plant I'M
provemeht Gardens, and that the
pathological work Of the laboratory be
extended to include the improvement
Of wild fruits and plants in general.
In other words that the department
begin to occupy the almost wholly ne
elected field of wild plant improve
ment. This proposal was duly accept
ed by the officials of the bureau Of
Plant Industry, and Our energies were
directed accordingly. The title of the
station was thurs changed at the
writer's suggestion, as indicated, to the
'&Pacifc Coast Laboratory and Plant
Improvement Gardens" AS result
of this understanding much energy has
been devoted during the past three
years to bringing together at these
gardens, from all parts Of the world,
the seeds of wild fruit, berries, grapes,
nuts, tubefs, grasses, 1egun1es, forest
trees, wild flowers and ornamentals Of
every description for testing and i'm
provement by hybridization, selection,
etc. Our garden numbers have reach
ed considerably above 1000 during that
period, and the effort has been directed
almost single handed. The fourteen
acres of land first secured, soon be-
came too small, and having neither
funds nor the authority for the pur-
chase Of land for the government, we
we're forced to secure more land at
personal expense. This was done by
the purchase of thirty acres near the
original ten acre tract, with abundant
water, rights. A nominal rental has
been paid by the Department for the
original garden, netting less than one
per cent on the value of the property.
In representing the needs for the de-
velopment of this new work to the
head of the pathological office of the
bureau it developed that it was his wish
to discontinue the work, and a copy OF
his recommendation to the chief of the
bureau to that effect was received.
This being the wish OF the pathologist,
an effort was made to save the work
by proposing to the chief of bureau
that he authorize it's establishment in
the bureau as an independent office.
This, the chief Of bureau declined to
do upon purely personal grounds. The
only recourse left was to attempt to
have this invaluable line of work es-
tablished as separate division or bu-
reau in the department. The writer,
therefore, upon his own initiative,
visited Washington to present the
claims and needs of the work to the
Secretary of Agriculture The result
was that the Secretary declined to take
action without the recommendation OF
the chief of the bureau of Plant In
dustry, and as this official had already
issued instructions to have the work
discontinued, no further effort was
practicable. Having, without support,
done all that seemed possible to found,
to develop and to save this work for
the people, am undertaking with un-
limited possibilities for benefting the
general horticulture, agriculture, flori-
culture and forestry of the country, our
official connection with the bureau
closed June 30, the end of the present
fiscal year. r.-Newton B. Pierce, Pathol-
og1st in charge of Pacific Coast
Laboratory and Plant Improvement
Gardens, Santa Ana, Cal.