Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-07
COME TO STUDY
PLANT CULTURE
SCIENTISTS FROM GERMANY
AND AUSTRIA ARRIVE
AGRICULTURAL METHODS ALSO
TO BE EXAMINED
Corn Producing Section of the Middle
West Declared to Be Superior
to Any in the Old
World


Seyesenegg, delegate from the Austrian
government, and Professor Kurt Ru-
emka, delegate from the German gov
ernment, arrived in Los Angeles yes
terday on their tour of the United
States to CLEAN scientific knowledge of
agricultural methods and plant biology
in vogue in this country.
Professor Won Seysenegg is con-
nected with the experimental depart
ment of the Vienna college of agricul-
ture, and Professor Ruemka is direc-
tor of the agricultural department of
the University of Breslau. Both men
were sent by their respective govern
ments on a three months tour of the
United States with instructions to visit
the leading agricultural colleges ana
to study the methods of plant breed
ing used by the American scientists.
They arrived in New York the latter
part of April and have visited the
large institutions in the east and mid
ole west, but decided that their itine-
rary and their mission would not be
complete unless they studied conditions
in California, the land of flowers. An
other incentive that brought them
westward was the idea of meeting
and discussing plant life with the man
they have read and heard so much
about, and who they believe will be
of plant life, Luther Burbank. They
will remain here about three months.
They are at the Alexandria
Europe in the Lead
That America is behind Germany
and Austria in practical agriculture
was the unqualified statement of Pro-
fessor Sysenegg, who stated that the
reason was plain, inasmuch as the
United States is but young nation
compared with the older countries of
Europe.
The professor expressed admiration
for the great producing section
of the middle west. He readily ac-
knowledged that the Americans have
GERMANY beaten when it comes to the
production of corn, and he was. sur
prised at the vast alfalfa fields
which he said are evidence that
Americans are forging rapidly to the
fore in scientific agricultural produc-
ton, even though behind in practical
agriculture.
your agricultural institutions said
Professor Seysenegg, ARE among the
greatest in the world. The Carnegie
scientific schools are doing wonderful
work and it will not be long before
America takes place in the agricul-
tural world beside Germany and Aus
tria, although those countries have
the advantage of being much older.
professor Davenport, who is at the
Carnegie agricultural school at Cold
spring Harbor, N. Y, and Professor
McDougal, at the Carnegie institute at
Tucson, are among the greatest men
iu their profession that / have ever
met We were amazed at the great
corn producing country in Illinois, and
we must admit that in raising corn
You are far in the lead Your alfalfa
fields also show what scientific knowl-
edge will produce. We have. visited
some of Sthe largest agricultural col
leges in the east and middle west and
have learned many things that we will
report to- our governments.
governments Interested
1.-THE idea of our trip originated with
the German and Austrian governments
who delegated us to spend three
months in the United States investi-
eating scientific conditions of agricul-
ture and plant breeding.
"In Germany much is heard and read
of that wizard, Burbank, and we look
forward with pleasure to visit with
him. 1t will be, however, only to see
the practical side of plant life, for Bur
bank is not what we call scientist
For our scientific information we rely
on your schools and colleges and we
understand that the subject is given
high rank in the universities of Cali
fornia While in Los Angeles we in
tend to visit the ostrich farms and the
orange groves, but our stay here is
more to rest than to study"
The professors were greatly i'm
pressed with Los Angeles, it being
their first visit to this part of the
country. They stated that from what
they had observed in California there
is here a great field for scientific re-
search.
While in washington the professors
had an audience with President Taft.
and. through his courtesy were given
an opportunity of inspecting the work
of the national agricultural depart
ment. 80,
From Los Angeles the scientists will
go to San Francisco and then to the
Alaska a-Yukon-Pacific exposition at
Seattle, where they will have an op-
rortunity of viewing the agricultural
products of the United States and
other countries They will journey
through Yellowstone park, then go to
Chicago and to ottawa and back to
New york city. They expect to arrive
in their respective countries about Au-
gust 1, when they will make a report
of their researches to their govern
nents.