Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-08

garden are familiar to the majority of
people, especially the ones native to this
country. This list includes dandelion.
pokeweed, catnip. hOarhound. golden seal,
cascara, ladies slipper. wintergreen.
ginseng and others. Among the imported
drug plants are digitalis. belladonna,
opium poppy. valerian and lavender.
Many of these are grown in countries
having a climate similar to ours, and are
therefore easy to cultivate. AS the ma
Jority of our native drug plants demand
shady ground in which to grow. lathe
protection has been erected which shuts
out the necessary amount Of light. I'm
der this protection may be found many
plants, while only a few feet away and
unprotected are plants from the tropics.
= 4
One of the most peculiar OF the plants
grown at the farm is colchicum This
comes from Europe and is used as a govt
cure. Its popularity lies in the fact that
it blossoms IN the fall without leaves, the
flowers being similar to the crocus and
purple in color. The spring after it has
blossomed the seed pods are formed and
then the plant dies. The roots and seeds
are both used in making the medicine
and it is one of the most poisonous plants
grown there In the protected portion of
the garden are to be found lilies-of-the-
valley. These not only serve the purpose
as a substitute for digitalis
Ginseng Is cultivated in this country to
larger extent probably than any other
drug plant. New York. PENNSYLVANIA,
michigan. Wisconsin and many other
states cultivate 1t for commercial pur-
poses. 1t is used by the Chinese resi-
dents of this country to limited extent.
the largest trade: however, being in
drug plant cultivated. as it sells for
from I'VE to seven dollars a pound, ac-
cording to the market conditions 1t is
among the plants experimental with at
Golden seal among the plants at the
farm has been used as a drug since the
time of the American Indians, who used
the root as medicine and the yellow
Juice as stain for their faces and a
dye for their clothing. Experiments in
cuitivating this plant were first started
by The department as far back az 1899
pefore the Arlington experimental farm
was begun In the hopes of increasing it's
growth on q commercial scale, as It is
almost extinct. About 100000 pounds are
used annually, the root selling at ~
cents and upward pound
-
The drug garden at the farm is but one
Oh many sections which are given over to
various experiments being conducted bv
the many branches of the Department Of
Agriculture. The farm is COMPOSED OF
400 acres. 300 of which are under 'cultiva-
ton. This property was formerly a por-
tlon or the Robert E. Lee estate but was
turned over to the department by Con.
gress IN 1900 to be used as field lab
Oratory." Situated between ArIfnptnn
cemetery and the Potomac river. the farm
Is Ideally placed. When started It was
pare OF buildings and without cultivation
being for the greater part unproductive
s amp iano The work started with five
IL. q
work being under Supt. f. c. Butterfield.
VINO resides at the farm and J. Walter
Jones, who is the assistant superintend-
ent- The farm is under the direction of
the department VI
Inere are but few farms as thorouehIv
EQUIPPED as the Arlington experimentaI
farm. Two enormous barns contain the
necessary accessories for farming There
are TWO cottages for the use of the men
nVIng at the farm. The hothouses are
perhaps the most unique mart of tho
pun There are ten In ali. each build
ing containing two rooms What nIaces
these above the ordinary hotho,sa~ 10 w.
!act that each room is duplicatiop of
the first one built. This makes n noss,hIa
10 10. grow the same plant under various con-
ultions and then make comparisons. Each
OF the houses is equipped with four ninos
uiiuer each or the three planting benches
making IT easy to regulate the heat The
t nu!no use! were begun in 1904. two being
dnd
IN subsequent years. The smaIIar ~ 80
Darhs is ntted up with horseshoeine and
Plpe-ntting equipment which enables the
ueparthent 10 have all the implement re-
pairing and horseshoeing done on the
grounds. In addition to this there f. a
large carpenter shop, where ALI worl- of
that character Is done "a
A large heating plant, 12O-horsepower.
furnishes the heat for the lighthouses
and other buildings. The various ma
chimes on the farm are run by cleo
trfcity. A railroad siding comes within
short distance Of the barns. The sup
piles Tor the farm are secured in car
Ioad lots and are thus easily handled.
One OF the most interesting features as
to equipment is the weather bureau on
a small scale. Appliances for telling the
amount of rainfall. the velocity of the
wind and the temperature are placed
near the ground. in order that the re-
suits obtained will deal as nearly as pos
sible with the conditions where the
plants are growing and not number OF
feet UP in the air.
Next to the drug garden the most in
terestingi section Is perhaps the vege-
table garden This plot Is designated
as the home vegetable garden, and is
such as any suburbanite might have
The purpose of the experiment Is to de-
termine how great a yield is received
each year and the amount of labor re-
quired. There are one hundred planting
rows in the garden, and as soon as one
is harvested another is planted. Aspara-
gus. onions. parsnips, potatoes, beets,
carrots. radishes. peas, beans, cabbages.
egg plant, spinach. melons and all the
other vegetables known to the suburb
ante are planted. This experiment has
been going on for several years, but as
yet no printed results have been given
out. 1t is safe to say. however, that
frnr xx-hfa lob, t,a ,n1 ha
efforts of the department in this expert
ment several embryo farmers would re-
ceive a shock at comparing their disap-
pointing results with those of the de-
partment, for all the vegetables when
harvested appear to be both succulent
and well grown.
Following the same idea as in the
home vegetable garden the farm pos
sesses a home fruit orchard. In this acre
have been planted what are known as