The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1910-02-20
Man Created Vegetables
LOndOn Mail.)

What the fancier can do in the way
of giving size and variety 10 native
stock was seldom more strikingly
shown than in collection of cabbages
shown the other day by some members
of a great firm. 4 convincing walk
| ing stick carried by Cne member of
the firm was made out of the stem of
"a cabbage. That appeared to be
peculiarly graceful palm, with a fo,in
| tain of leaves falling from foul foot
stem, represented another cabbage. \
long leayed, graceful hearts tongue
fern appeared on inspection to be a
third variety. One cabbage is in guiaa
of a turnip, and others mimic in their
colored and crinkled foliage that divis-
ion of plants generally used for deco
rative purposes. The different sorts,
welded together, combine useful as
we'll as decorative purposes: the savoy
or the cabbage grows At readily on
stalk thick with sprouts as on any
barren or walking stick stem.
The hybridists have already greatly
extended our range of table vegetables
at certain periods of the year The
recreated plants are harder. and their
seasons begin earlier and end later
than formerly. In Covent Garden Mar
ket at the present time vou may pur-
chase new potatoes. green peas. spin
ach. beans, asparagus, artichOkes. en-
dives, lettuce, radishes and other good
things which not many years ago were
almost unknown in this country in the
month of January. True, these vege-
tables mainly come from more south
erly climes, where they are forced but
the hardest plants are necessary for
midwinter forcing. At the same time
so much and increasing attention is
being given to hybridization that We
may look forward to winters when all
kinds of homegrown vegetables and
many fruits also which the average
man at present associates exclusively
with the summer months will be avail
able They will have. been hardened
to endure severer weather, and cultur-
al science will do the rest.
The success of these improvements
on nature is astonishing, especially to
England. In other countries-France
is an exception-most of the work is
endowed men of science, among whom
Mr. Burbank is now to be reckoned.
In England one may say that all the
best work has been done by men of
commerce. The Mendelians at Cam
bridge, now about to show the new
wheats in public, are the chief eX-
ception, and the National Vegetable
society, recently organized may fOs-
ter similar work. Arguing from such
an example as this of the cabbages,
one may say that there is no limit
to the size Or feeding value of the
vegetable and grain that may be Gre
ated by the scientific hybridizer The
specialists themselves are being con-
tinually astonished. People often ask
impatiently what is the practical good
of all this? They do not understand
that year by year, quite steadily, grain
and vegetables grow bigger and rich
er in food value and more various.
Roots have a larger percentage of
sugar and smaller of cellulOse. Oats
have more grains to a Danicle and
more panicles to head. Peas defy the
seasons and stock foCd--as in the
case of the kohl rabi. a vegetable
household caterers should try-is re-
fined into human food.
Mr.. Vilmorin is rapidly producing a
strawberry that may be called perpet
ual without much stretch of language
The later sorts will, at any rate, pro-
duce good fruit for Christmas din.
ner. The raspberry and the blackber.
ry are crossed and recrossed. At first
we had fruit that was much larger
than either parent, but lacked the
sweetness of either. Now, after some
years, this fine child, of the color OF
the raspberry. has produced a child
which is as black as the blackberry
but as sweet almost as the raspberry
The Cambridge Mendelains aver
that the wheats which they will put
on the market next year should pro
duce disease-proof crop, worth 1C
ShllllrgS or so an acre more than the
older sorts. The nectarine and the
I peach have been crossed again and
again with great success by the Riv
| ers, who III the course of business
have done much splendid scientific
work on the most difficult class oi
. stock. When it is reckoned how long
). a tree takes 10 grow from seed, and in
its turn to produce fruit, it will be
| realized what persistent, continuous
| work handed on from father to sou
was necessary before the quantity oil
nectarine peaches was fixed and mul
| tiplied Like success has been made
| with other fruits, such as figs and
| grapes and nuts.
1t is of the best omen for the pro
| duction of the giant and succulent and
hardy vegetable that special horti
| cultural institute has been Just now
| endowed and will be presided over by
| the pioneer and archpriest of the Me
i IL. .