The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-01-12
SOLVING THE FOOD
PROBLEMS or FUTURE
How an Iowa Plant Breeder Is
Meeting Difficult Conditions
by Producing New Types.
From the Century.

Inc IuHudIneltai pToUiein VI maj
kind is to produce rood for itself This
food must grow out of the earth and in
the sea. In the last analysis. 1t all
depends on the vegetable cover orthe
earth. How to make the vegetable
kingdom more productive to the needs
OF man is therefore problem that con-
Germs all persons who at any time live
in the world.
Great and serious study has been
given to this fundamental problem In
the last century, and the problem
must increase In Importance as every
new generation adds to the popula-s
ing pestilence and insanitation. and
are beginning to think Of putting an
end to war; all this should allow the
human race to increase rapidly in
the future. But the future increase
will probably depend more on social
cal factors alone, and the foremost
economic factor Is the facility or the
difficulty with which the race may
be fed.
OF Two Groups.
The plant breeders are of two
groups, those who are not connected
with an organization, but who prose
cute their work in their own re-
sources, usually I'm connection with
nursery or seed business, and those
who are attached to some college
experiment station or government de-
partment
AS an unattached plant breeder
Charles G. Patten. OF Charles City. Ia,
should be mentioned. both because his
work is deserving and because it is Of
such long standing that I can write OF
results actually accomplished.
Mr.. Patten was farm boy In north
ern New York, reared in the general
mixed husbandry Of that region. At an
early age he went to wisconsin. where,
being impressed with the need of apples
specially adapted to the climate. he be-
gan to raise seedlings. IN 1854 he re-
moved to Charles City, and settled on
the raw prairie near the town; in 1856
he established a nursery business.
AS he attempted to supply the needs OF
the new and untried region, he found
himself compelled to test great num-
bers of varieties Of fruits and orna-
mental plants from the older country.
and also to attempt to breed new ones
that might more perfectly meet the
conditions OF very cold winters with
dry, killing winds. The result has been
the production of the Patten Greening
now a standard apple OF the northern
Iowa Wisconsin Minnesota region Cor
what may be called the box elder coun-
try) and several other accepted varie-
ties. There are also large numbers OF
new things yet awaiting fuller tests. 1t
is not often that a man has more
than one accepted new variety to his
credit.
New Apples.
In the region that / have indicated,
the Baldwin, Greening. Northern Spy
and other familiar eastern apples are
killed by the winters. Mr.. Patton OBJ
served that trees and shrubs which did
well even In his Wisconsin experience
were lacking in hardness in northeast
ern Iowa He pondered all these facts,
and worked out theory or plan of
procedure. 1t was clearly necessary to
secure a new stock or race of fruits.
There are still several theories as to
the best way of doing this with apples.
One plan is to import varieties of fruits
direct from country OF similar cli-
mate; the noted introduction of Rus
sian apples 80 or 40 years ago was the
working out of this idea. Another
theory is to improve the wild crab apple
that Is native to the region. From this
crab, probably hybridized with the do
nestle apple, the Soulard and few
others have actually been produced;
but all are of small value where any
other apple can be grown. Another
idea is to use the Siberian crab as a
foundation from which to breed. An
other plan, or. rather practice, is to
plant unfortunately the seeds OF
eastern varieties, in the hope that an
adaptable form may appear. The
Wealthy apple, our leading cold coun-
this way, Peter M. Gideon, in Mime
sofa, sowing bushel OF apple seed
from Maine, out of which this one seed
prDVed 10 be valuable