Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-08-16
RIVAL Of BURBANK.
Success OF David JaggerS. Who
Teaches indians Gardening.
HAS GROWN ODORLESS ONIONS
During Many Years Residence Among
cherokees Aged Plan; Wizard Has
Perfected Many New Varieties OF
Flowers and Vegetables.

Flowers and Vegetables.
The Cherokee Indians claim a close
rival 70 Luther Burbank writes Col
linsyli!e Il. T. correSI, audeu, OF the
Kansas City star a., achievements
Of this strange and heretofore uuheard
OF plant wizard among the Indians
read Ike a romance. lur The existence
OF immense orchards aud flower and
vegetable gardens proves his service
among these people for the past ufty-
seven Years.
David Jaggers. an Eug.ishmau 10y
birth and education. is the greatly be.
loved and hl.Aly priced MAN among
the Cherohcc~ lie is now in his
eighty sixth year. His experimental
station is situated just outside the cor
poratc limits of CoIImsvillc. where he
has worked for the past eight years
with wonderful success. He formerly
lived in the SpayiuaW hills in the east
eru part of the Cherokee Nation 1t
was only few days ago that his ten
acre patch Of ground was found TO
contain numerous strange ana curious
plants and flowers which eutitle this
man 10 high place tn the world Of
plant growing and breeding
Among the number of new vcgcta
bes produced by Uncle David" as
the Indians call him. is a perfect cross
between an ordinary turuip ana cab
bage lie has also an entirely new va
riety Of onion The onion IS very
much larger than the ordinary variety
and Is entirely odUrlcSs. 1t IS sweet
and perfectly free from the usual hot
taste. The product has only recently
been found 10y Mr. Jac-crs to lee a
perfect onion. which he says has cost
him more than twenty years labor TO
bring about. 1t was produced from
crossing with a Wild variety which
grows along the streams In the early
sprlngtime. This onion which is
small in its wild state. was successful
ly crossed with the Bermuda onion
ana reccosSel many times with the ma
tive onion Of tie United States
In the Wizard Of OZ Gardens" ss
the white people call his place, are to
be found hundreds Of varieties of flow
ers and vegetables. The Cherokees
have profited 10y the long and untirinG
energies of this grand old man He
has ever stood ready to assist the In
dians in horticulture and agricultural
pursuits During a recent visit Of c.
A McNabh. secretary Of the Okla
homa board of agriculture. who is an
expert orchardiSt, he said the orchards
OF Cherokee Indians We're a revelation
to him. He expressed the opinion that
within five years these people would
be in position to teach their pale
face brothers the art Of peach, pear
and apple growing
Discussing the CherokeeS and their
assistance in his work OF scientific
plant culture, Mr.. JaggerS said:
when | came among these Indians
in 1850 they We're very friendly and
fully alive 10 their own best interests.
They became Interested in my work
from the very start. and have always
found them ready and willing to pro
vide the necessary funds with which
10 carry ON my experiments. They at
first regarded me with more or less
suspicion. and some of them even be-
leved that | was a sort Of couiurer,
but they soon learned that | was work
ing for their welfare. and all doubts
about my intentions We're dispelied.
The combination turnip and cabbage
is the result OF nearly tWenty-n five
years careful study and much labor.
Had ii not been for few bad boys
the world would still be in ignorance
of the vegetable. The boys climbed
over my high board fence and in the
darkness took several and sold them
10 Mrs. White, proprietor of the Hotel
London. The travelling men said the
combination was a most delicious dish,
and they told several newspaper men
about it, This is how learned that
boys had entered my garden at night.