Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-21
Year of Experiment at Arling-
ton Proves Satisfactory.
STRANGE PLANTS GROWN
Object to Cheaper Some and Save
Others From Extinction.
COSTLY ONES MOST IN DANGER
Cascara Segrada Tree Can Be Raised
Profitably, It Has Been
Found.

Work for the year in the drug garden
o. the Department of Agriculture at Ar
Lng.on has closed with quite a satisfac-
tory showing. There are so far only three
or four acres Of the drug garden under
cultivation, but ultimately there will be
FIVE acres, and probably the whole of
this area will be used during the coming
season.
The work al present is divided into two
sorts, the collection and growing of do
mestic drug plants that have been picked
wild heretofore and the Introduction OF
foreign varieties that might make
profitable crop for this country. 1t is a
fact not generally recognized that plants
are exterminated at times, just as are
birds and animals This is happening
with some varieties of wild drug plants,
and there are other varieties of which
there is no immediate danger of exter-
animation, but which may be grown more
probably under regular culture than ny
! the present method of collecting the wild
plants.
One of the things the department is par
ticularly interested in raising Is cascara
segrada. There is no danger or eXter,
minating this tree, but ii has been FOUND
that the bark can be grown commercially
at a profit. and there is no reason why
il should not be staple crop.
Valuable Ones Most in Danger.
The more valuable drugs are the ones
most in danger of extinction. When you
set up to golden seal worth in the mar
ket from So to Sc pound and gensing
worth 81 a pound, then there is every
inducement for the herb hunters to CLEAN
close. and they do. Both these roots are
being grown in the drug garden and there
md ic.lfin
they will make paying crops.
Pink root is another of the native herbs
that is rapidly being thinned out by the
herb hunters, and this also is being grown
amount of difficulty in adapting anything
to regular culture that has been used to
growing only wild.
There are a good many of the native
plants that are in no danger of extinc-
ton. but that are being grown expert
mentally. Blood-root is one OF these ana
is making satisfactory growth, though
there is no telling whether It Will DE-
velop into a profitable crop.
The value of anything in the herb line
depends largely on artificial condltlons,
and it is hard for the scientists or the
Department to tell sometimes whether
the market price of q drug Is due to &C
tual scarcity or to well conducted cor
ner. This was the case a season or TWO
back when dandelion roots went sudden
ly to 40 cents a pound. Ten cents 1s ABOUT
the usual price. The root ranges now be-
tween 10 and IL cents. This season, how
ever there was a demand for 1t on the
part of one drug firm, and as the seasons
crop was already in the hands OF a few
holders they were able to command prac-
ticaIly their own price for the supply.
Some Interesting Experiments.
There are some interesting experiments
being tried now with growing red peppers.
but these are not far enough along to
warrant report There has been a good
deal of talk also Of camphor-growing
experiments. but these have to be carried
on further south than Washington. and
while the preliminary results have been
encouraging, the trees are such slow
growers as to make the completion OF the
work a matter Of the distant future.
One crop that was imported last spring
and that will be watched with interest
through the coming spring is a lot of fine
perfumery roses. These are not particu-
larry handsome rose plants, being about
like the red and pink June rose varieties
in this country. But If they take hold.
as it is hoped they will, there will be
every prospect of establishing regular
rose perfumery-g growing industry. One
country is the high price of labor. Usual
IN, however. this can be overcome in any
industry by the use of special labor-sav-
ing machinery. AS the genuine oil of
roses is worth from Sc to S11 an ounce,
il will be noted there is a fair amount
OF money in the business. What the de-
par:;aent wants TO find out is whether
this apparently large profit will be all
or nearly all absorbed in operating ex-