El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-04

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Washington. have produced varieties
better than the ordinary by 40 TO 80
percent 1t is important that every
state should Drsed varieties adapted
% its own climate and soils Many OF
the states, indeed, are already working
on the problem.
Working on Alfalfa.
THE plant-breeders are also work.
ing on alfalfa, which is the most Yalu-
able of all forage crops. and the great
est producer of money for the farmer
They propose to make it yield, in most
parts of the east, as largely as it does
in any part of the west. Until re-
Gently, the alfalfas cultivated in the
United States were suitable only to
the region west of the Missouri river.
1t was 1 myself who discovered, only
a few years ago, the hardy variety
known as the Grimm, which has since
spread over all the northern country
east of the Missouri.
This variety gets it's name from
farmer named Grimm, who came from
Bohn, Germany. so years ago, and set
tied near Lake Mnnitonka. He brought
the seeds of the alfalfa with him; but
its value was not discovered until half
Gentry later. 1t is a great yielder
of hay, producing three crops year.
This discovery has led TO the imPFSta-
ton of other hardy alfalfas, and to the
creation of still others. by breeding,
which are adap<ed TO various sections.
Apple Growing.
Within 10 miles of Grimm'S farm,
so years ago, was the humble home Of
another settler, Peter Gideon. Peter
lived with his family in a log cabin,
and WAS so poor that he cut cOrdwood
to exchange for groceries. Having had
some experience with apple growing in
Maine (whence he camel, he decided to
obtain from that source half n bushel
OF apple seed, and borrowed the money
for the purpose. His wife objected,
urging him to use the So to buy a
much-needed coat
Gideon showed her a waistcoat and
the legs of pair of trousers, and
asked her to sew the latter into the
arm holes of the former, TO make a
coat. When she refused, he did the
job himself. Then he got the apple
seeds from Maine, and planted them.
One of the seeds produced a tree which
was probably the most valuable tree
ever grown in the world; for from its
cuttings have been derived all the
orchards of the famous wealthy
apples.
The Apple Problem.
What we want to do is to work out
the apple problem in an equally salts
factory way for all parts of the
United States. At the present time
our apple crop is very patchy. There
are only a few regions in which this
greatest of American fruits is success
fully produced-in New York, Oregon,
Washington, Michigan. and Missouri
We have not adapted varieties to
In nd Of
not up to date in methods of culture
and insect control. Such matters have
been reduced TO a scientific basis in
those districts-as, for example, in
Oregon-where the industry is pursued
on a large scale by associations of
producers.
I'VE want a hardy apple for the far
north. We want another kind of apple
that will stand the hot climate Of the
south. We want apples that are suited
TO every part Of the country, so that
each locality may have cheap apples.
The home orchard needs encourage
melt. Plant-breeders are working on
the problem, and important results are
already being obtained.
Grains and Vegetables.
Undoubtedly, as our population in
creases. We shall eat more grains and
vegetables and less meat Plant prod
1ctS, you must remember, are always
in competition with livestock PRINT
tive peoples depend chiefly on the
flesh of animals for food; but, when a
country becomes crowded, the tendency
Is TO eat what comes direct from the
soil. Thus in China, which is very
part Of the world, cattle and
sheep are not raised to any extent for
slaU ghter. The inhabitants cannot
afford TO feed their plant products to
and then to eat the latter
this being always more expensive
mode Of deriving sustenance from the
soil.
Relatively speaking, therefore, we
shall in the course of time become
in habit Because Of the
competition OF plant products, beef
animals in our own country have al