Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-14

Copyright, 1907. by John Elfreth Watkins.
= 81 ERE is a great project: The
plant wonders of north China
are to be introduced throughout
III the United States. This land
of ours is to be adorned by
dwarf trees. is to bristle with BAN
boos-big and little, and edible; Is 10
weld the giant persimmon. the paper
shell walnut, the sweet apricot kernel.
the uuince-pear; is to be perfumed
by the blossom of the wild apricot,
the wild peach. the wild plum; Is
in short-to enjoy the most sacred of
those botanical treasures at which all
travellers in the kingdom OF qvsues have
marveled these centuries past, but which
the proud mandarins have hitherto
boarded closely unto Reconsideration
they have been especially loath 10 snare
with the white foreign devils
I have the odd story from that we'll
known botanist and explorer, David
Grandson Fairchild. who has himself
secured the most inaccessible corners OF
the earth-from far Cathay to the Islands
of the South seas-in search of plant nov
elites. On his return from a four
year trip around the world he was IN
trusted by Secretary Wilson with tue
organization of grand scheme for in
Producing into our soil all foreign species
of the vegetable kingdom which we lack
and need. In developing tie latest phase
of this work, Mr.. Fairchild spread before
him charts showing the topography, the
meteorological conditions and the lie
zones of China and of the United states.
Then upon a map of our country he wash
ed in with water color. our areas. Where-
in the plants of north China would be
climatically at home. The result was that
he thus covered practically the whole OF
our vast domain. Here was a great,
varied expanse somewhere within Whlcr
was bound to thrive each of the plant
wonders of the north Celestial empire
that region which, of all great continental
expanses, is the least known agrlcultural-
ly; yet which-not excepting even Eu-
rope-most closely approaches our own
territory climatically.
Lands in a Typhoon.
So it was determined to send an Ameri-
can expedition to this region. But where
was there to be found an explorer OF suf-
ficient spunk and skill to make 1t? Many
regions of this vast expanse had never
seen the white face Of a Caucasian. After
some difficulty, Mr.. Fairchild tells me. he
discovered the most promise in young
Hollander, Frank N. Meyer, who mad but
lately arrived in America. Mr. Fairchiid
told him to pack up. pull out Tor San
Francisco. and hurry over to Peking-and
Never stood not upon the order OF his
going. l have been permitted to take
elaborate notes from the hundreds OF
pages of hitherto unpublished letters
which have been received from him to
date. That his story Is not very dull
one you will directly agree with me-
A Terribly Strange Bed.
A terrible typhoon greeted him on the
day of his landing at Shanghai. Besides
Alt Of do 90
in that city, this CONFUSION of nature
ruined part of the young explorers equip
ment. He arranged to depart directly for
| i -entsin, but was obliged to wait several
| days because all railway tickets had been
| sold out. At Tentsn he found that guests
| at the inns were required to supply their
own mattresses; but, being unable to find
one he spread his thin blanket upon the
| hard brick bedstead with which the Chi
| nese innkeeper always furnishes his
| rooms. Mr.. Meyer soon found that he
| was not alone in this terribly strange bed
| Although misery usually loves company
| he preferred to spread his blanket upon
| the dirt floor, and there to seek repoSe
| far from the maddening thronS. In the
| morning his eye opened upon q poisonous
| centipede gazing hungrily down upon him
| from the wall. Complaining OF this to his
native guide, he received the consolation
| that the latter had shared his chamber
| with a big scorpion which was far more
| deadly. During the remaining nights
spent here he slept with one eye open and
| with his electric fashlight close beside
him.
| These inns. his guide informed him. are
abandoned when ten years old, because
| no guest will brave the myriads of In
| sects great and small which by that time
| hava congrcgated within their walls. His
second day in Tientsin he discovered in
| the garden of a wealthy Chinese some
specimens Of hardy bamboo. which VIII
| be introduced as far north as possible IN
| the United States, as will perfectly
hardy and quite seedless persimmon which
| he found in the markets.
| On hotel tables at Tientsin he found de-
| licious yellow fruit which appeared to be
! a cross between the ounce and pear, and
| he walked twenty miles one day in vain
| search for the trees. While seeking plant
novelties in the suburbs Of Picking he was
taken i'll with fever. but quickly recov-
cred and was soon off to the mountains
| upon another quest for the mysterious
| ''auince- pears" Not finding many of
| these. he turned his attention to some new
| apricots, early peaches and other fruits.
Persimmons Bigger Than Apples.
| A giant seedless persimmon larger than
the ordinary apple was a rich find made
| in these mountains. 1t Is four inches
in diameter, and has the form Of a big
! acorn. Mr. Fairch:ld has discovered
an oriental process of removing the tam
min, which gives persimmons their as
tringency and the discovery will make this
| Introduction of even greater value. This
| is done after the fruit is picked hard
and before it is softened. He tells me
| that this delicious fruit VIII doubtless
| flourish in our country as far north as
New England and possibly the northern
great plains region, where the Japanese
persimmon will not grow. Cuttings sent
| over by Mr. Meyer are already growing
! in Pennsylvania. South Carolina and
| Florida. In these same mountains the
explorer obtained the Chinese pistache.
which not only bears nuts. but affords an
ornamental shade tree. 1t will be tested
az a hardy stock on which to grow fur
| ther north in this country. the pistachio
| of commerce now growing in California.
Paper-Shell Walnuts.
An apricot whose sweet kernels are
eaten like almonds was another find
made in these northern hills of the
celestial empire. Leaving this region
Mr.. Never next explored Chang-li. 200
miles to the eastward. and secured some
Interesting paper-shelled walnuts - the
shells so thin that the meat can be seen
through them. Attempts may be made
to hybridize this novelty with our thick
shelled black walnuts.
| Mr. Meyer was the first white man
ever seen in some of these regions of
Chang-li, where he discovered some de-
Iicious new grapes, like the muscatel;