Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-06-09
Receives Merited Recognition From
the U. S. Government for a Life
Devoted to Science.
THE BURBANK OF IOWA.
Has just Been Appointed Expert
Breeder of Fruits by United
States Department of
Agriculture.

| DuI Uduh VI ioWd, hdo iSSChIiy lC-
ceived an appointment as expert
breeder of fruits by the United
States Department of Agriculture
the Iowa State Horticultural Society
and the Iowa Agricultural Expert
ment Station.
This is but deserved recognition OF
the lifelong work carried on by Mr.
Patten in the origination and dis
semination of new fruits which have
proven to be of untold benefit to the
northwest states. His Patten Green
ing has without doubt, added not less
than a million of dollars to the
prosperity of the state of Minnesota
alone, without counting the i'm
mense benefit to the balance of the
states of the upper Mississippi and
Missouri valleys. And this is only
one of the group of apples and plums
for hardness, flavor and ability to
produce has no equal for this section
of the country.
| Mr.. Patten began his experimental
work in the origination of new vari-
cites considerably in advance of Mr..
Burbank. He is a life member of
the Iowa State Horticultural society
and also the Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin State Horticultural societies.
His seedlings have received the Mar
shall p Wilder Silver Medal for the
finest collection of new fruits, from
he American Pathological society
| at Kansas City, Missouri, in 1905,
and again at the jamestown EXPOSE
ton in 1907. This is the highest
award OF that National society and
was given for the largest collection
of cross-bred and select seedlings
ever shown in the United States.
Mr.. Patten planted in the spring of
1903 approximately ten thousand
seeds of cross-bred and selected ap-
pie, plum and pear. He has. without
doubt, the largest experiment sta
tion of it's kind in the United States
and is conceded by those who are
acquainted with the facts to be far
in advance of any other one man in
this work. His experimental grounds
cover approximately twenty acres
and are exclusively devoted to this
testing the originating work.
We are Informed that prominent
Minnesota horticulturist states that
already one-third of the hardy vari-
cites oil apples recommended for the
state OF Minnesota by the State Hor-
ticultural society for general plant
ing are of Mr.. Paten's origination.
Mr.. Patterns self-sacrificing life
study of trees called forth resolu-
ton from the Ladies' Literary club
of Independence, asking the state
legislature and congress to give him
financial support.
Mr.. Patterns first work along this
line was disappointment. In 1870
he planted the seeds from barrel of
| Wisconsin bellflowcrs, but the ig.
norance of climatic conditions caus-
ed him to lose 1000 seedlings. He
next procured the seed from Ouch
ess apple tree, which stood near a
Rhode Island greening, and origin
ated new species, which he called
Patterns greening, now extensively
raised and marketed in northern
Iowa, Minnesota and wisconsin.
For years Mr.. Patten has hand
pollenized the apple and other fruit
blossoms, then protected them from,
the bees, so that other pollens could
not be brought to them. When the
fruit ripened he has saved the seed
marked them with the name of the
parents. and has planted the seeds
with markers beside them.
Il shall endeavor to have several
new plumbs next year, of the prune
and Japanese crosses, besides a null
titude of new ones coming on" says
/ -'i' ueeSh. i<doI yCdI Dlduc
immense planting of plums, covering
fully fifty kinds and their crosses
out of which we may expect many
fine things.
81 have only begun with grapes
and peaches. Last fall I planted
over 400 peach pits, mostly grown
on protected trees in Floyd county
Professor Beach tells me they are
the farthest north of any unprotected
trees that he knows of. saying moth.
ing of the older trees, planted last
spring between 900 to 10000 sci.
ected and cross-bred apple seeds, and
have had excellent success with
them. / have six or seven acres
depsely packed with trees, besides
the experiments that are scattered
over twenty or more acres"