The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-08-21
SEEKING NEW CROPS
Agricultural Department Searching
All Parts Of the World

There is nothing in the work of tae
Department of Agriculture that is
sensational but there is much that is
intensely interesting There are few
branches of the government service
where so much value is received for
very dollar expended
Frank \. Meyer, one of the eXplOr-
ers of the department is soon to leave
IN his second trip abroad to seek
| Jew crops for the American farmer.
from London ne will proceed to the
land of the Tartars 10 investigate the
eport that the largest and most de-
'icious grapes abound in that region
Mr. Meyer hopes to have as success
al a trip as the one from which he
returned last year, after spending
hree years in China. Korea and Sibe-
ria. He brought back to the United
States hundreds of plants and in ad-
dition a fund of information wnich
has been of great value in the exper-
ment work of the department. Mr.
Meyer will proceed from London to st
Petersburg, thence south to the eau
casus mountains and east. visiting the
cities of Samarcand and Hashkend.
From the last named city he will
journey by caravan overland to Pekin.
This trip, which will occupy at least
eight months will take Mr.. Meyer
hrougn Turkestan and the entire
Chinese empire from west to east. He
will retravel practically the same re-
yion visited by Even Hedin the fam
)us explorer
One of the problems of the depart
nent has been TO discover fruits and
grains adapted to a region of small
rainfall. Mr. Meyer in his travels in
China had gathered much information
regarding crops suitable for dry con
iitions the soil and climate in China
md our own semiarid regions being
similar.
The explorations made by Mr.. Mey-
er showed the presence of an extern
sive orchard industry, which the de-
partment regarded as worthy of in
sestigation. with a possibility of using
il i'm the dry Southwestern region of
this country. Mr.. Meyer found extern
,ive orchards of what is known as the
Chinese date" a drouth-resistant
truit tree of which the Chinese have
developed hundreds of varieties. The
dried fruits form n product with
which this country is unfamiliar. He
secured numerous varieties of this
date, among them a seedless variety,
which is now being propagated for dis
tribution in the Southwest.
Many varieties of new seedless per
simmons have been introduced in this
country as a result of Mr. Meyers in
a.,
form from and presumably nardier
than any of the Japanese persimmons.
One variety has already borne fruit
here, some of the fruit attaining di-
ameter of four inches.
A large collection of wild and cul-
tivated pears was secured; also var
ieties of wild walnuts and chestnuts.
Wood for propagation of the famous
Feitchens peach was secured, spec
linens of the fruit weighing over a
pound, also new apricots and wild APP
pies which il is believed will be tried
in the Mississippi valley. Many new
trees have also been OBJ
tanned sucl as new elms and pines /
these coming from the arid regions of
the Wutaishan
A special effort was made by Mr.
Meyer to secure new ornamental
trees and shrubs suitable for parks
and public grounds.
Agricultural scouts are abroad in
all parts of the world searching for |
new plants, for means to destroy in |
sect pests and for better varieties of |
seeds. Already millions of dollars |
have been added to the wealth of the |
by there Investigations. 1t |
would be fortunate if we could spend |
less money on engines of war and |
more for the direct benefit of the peo-
pie.