The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-25
NEW AND UNUSUAL CROPS
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

AVA w q "a w. ~
BY FREDERl
II is estimated by students Of the diff
feEnJ branches Of agriculture that the
present crop season in the nlted states
and Canada viii produce d wider range
of commercial articles than any previous
summer. As farming becomes more OF
an exact science and the average size
I Of farms becomes smaller. the agricui-
turist is looking for new and better-pdy-
ing crops This IS particularly true of
the gardener, the trucker. the florist and
the fruit grower.
The department Of agriculture is render
I ing great assistance to this movement
I for new and more profitable crops. IL
I is rsnsacking the flora OF the world for
things which may be advantageously in
| tuoduCed here. Its most recent study
relates TO camDhOr. Japan has long mad
q practical monopoly Of the production
Of this staple. which is as essential in
war as iron OF steel Ii enters into most
of the high explosives. especially smoke
less powder, used by the army and navy.
and II Japan cut off our supply she
might handicap US seriously in case or
war
/ The BUREAU of plant industry has in
/ vestigated the matter and reached the
conclusion that camphor can be grown
{ in the southern part of the United States.
a 3.eN-acre tract Of Florida land has
Z been acquired by the government and viii
/ be set out In camphOr trees. In Japan
il has always been the custom to allow
| the trees TO grow 10 maturity. and then
cut them down, distillng the camphor
/ from the logs. Tn Florida and Texas the
government viii plant them very close
together, and when the shrubs reach
height Of about three feet they VIII be
cut down wiki moving machine and
taken 10 the distillery. a new crop Will
follow in short order
I Peppermint culture Is one of the most
interesting of the small crop opera tons.
Of
growing region. and the soil where 1t is
grown - so mucky that the horses have
! To be fitted with large wooden shoes be
fore they can WORK on II. The cost OF
| cultivation j. about slf an acre. and the
profit from SIS to so. One farmer has
| about l0u,J acres Of land devoted 10 the
/ growing Of peppermint, which IS the lar
[ gaSt farm of its kind i'm the world He
I feeding them peppermint hay in the VIM
I ter. which they eat with great relish
I when the oil has been pressed from it,
! In 1874 several enterprising New York
/ eTs concluded they could corner the pep
I permint oil market. They sent a rep
/ resentatiVe 10 England 10 find out how
much oil was needed to supply the de-
mand. which was about Zoo pounds
wear Then they went to the New York
| producers and Ohio growers and paid
them not to cultivate peppermint for i've
/ years. After this they bought the entire
I product or Michigan at a price mutually
| agreed upon. Then they sold peppermint
/ oil at their own price. After three years
some Of the Ohio and New York grow
eTs, seeing how prices had advanced. con
cluded that they would break their con-
I tracts The peppermint oil trust did not
I attempt TO prevent their doing so, hsv-
I ing made a profit large enough TO satisfy
3 its greed.
The growing OF mushrooms is one of
/ the most profitable occupations in the
world-if the grower thoroughly knows
{ his business. The prices range from %
.HaaH~
/ growers of mushrooms have less than
! LOO square feet of beds. but they make
more out of these than the average farm
er makes from a 9h-acre farm There
is perhaps no other crop in the United
{ States or Canada Shich can be grown
l with such profit where the conditions are
/ favorable. IL is said that the cave re-
Z Eion of the Shenandoah valley and the
I blue grass region Of Kennedy offer SPLEEN
did opportunities for mushroom culturs.
I caves being ideal growing places for fungi.
/ Castor bean culture i quite q profit
/ able little industry in some parts OF
the south. Ii is from these beans that
I castor oil is made Ukrs or gumbo Is
/ also grown with profit IN the south. EN-
peTimeuts have been MADE IN cFosSln2
/ the sand cherry with plums and indics-
tons are that the new hybrid will make
I a valuable acquisition TO the small fruit
/ garden. Horticulturists regard the sand
cherry as the most promising OF al the
native undevrloDed fruits The iuns berry
ing TO dOmestiCata. Mankind at large rs
fond Of the hUCkleberry. and many at
temDts have been made 10 persuade u
10 forsake its abiding place in the woods
and mountains for the fields Of Civilza-
ton. but il has spurned every attempt
Of the plant trainers to tame IT, They
have now turned their attention 10 me
iunebSrry. and il promises To succeed tAc
huckleberry I'm the affections Of the reo-
pie. especially those in the treeless re-
gions OF the country.
The avocado. OF alligator pear is thirty
ing well I'm its new surroundings OF
l American soil. IT is a tropical salad fruit,
eaten like the catalogue Ii grows lux
Erianur on the IsthmUs Of Panama. and
the canal diggers regard II as more than
a substitute Tor the Rocky Ford. The
trees planted in Florida have thrlNeu-
and alligator pear growing promises 20
become a profitable business The taste
for it, needs a little cultivation, but All
connoisseurs agree that 10 makes de-
lectable dish. There is a vast profit IN
its production single tree producing
from ten 10 sixty pears with prices as
high as s. a dozen
The growing of medicinal plants IS be-
coming an important occupation. II is es-
timated that the American people annu-
ally import S50G0.000 worth OF medicinal
plants from Europe. and the bulk Of this
. sum might Just as well be kept at home.
Ginseng has long been the favOrite crop,
but the prices were so high that over
production resulted At one time the gin
seng growers had to burn about three
fOurths of their crop to keep Up prices
I China is the principal buyer Of American
ginseng. but il viii have none but the
/ wild roots. Consequently. the demand for
cultivated ginseng is very much smaller
now than Il used to be. Golden seal Is
! supplanting ginseng as successful crop
. [ a great many growers finding Il exceed
inglv profitable. One grower reports that
his beds have Welded him clear profit al
the rate Of $3.50 per acre
When one comes to compare the profits
Of different crops he has TO marvel al
the devotion of the average farmer TO the
cereals. Federal census data shows thai
the average per acre value Of flowers iT