El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-26


rieties. This is a job. There are no less
than 400 different kinds of that grain
in Japan, India and China, and some of
these are found to grow better than
our famous South Carolina rice, which
was long considered the best Of the
world. Not long ago we sent the late
DR.. IS. A. Knapp to Japan, and he
brought back rice from the island or
Kfushu which has revolutionized this
industry, and added millions of dollars
to the value OF our crop. We have
now rice for the uplands as well as for
the swamps, and, on the prairies or
Arkansas we are raising twice as much
to the acre as they are getting in South
Carolina and Georgia We now produce
hundreds of millions of pounds of rice
every year, and that at less cost than
Asia can raise it with cheap coolie Ia
Dor. The secrete is in the use of ma
chinery, and the profits are large,
averaging $50 and upward per acre
Since these introductions the rice
lands of the United States have been
greatly extended. The crop is now very
large in Louisiana, Arkansas and Tex
as, and it is said that it can be grown
on any soil adapted to- wheat or cot
ton, provided the climatic conditions
are right.
We are also breeding new cottons,
marrying the best of India and Egypt
to our favorite daughters of the up
lands and sea islands. We are breeding
for seed as well as for lint We are
breeding corn for the oil contained in
the grain and also to increase the size,
of the crop and cut down the size of
the cob. We are making oranges which
will withstand the frost, extending the
orange belt 400 miles farther north We
are marrying the lettuceS, and joining
the varieties of flax so that the plants
are taller and the fibers are better
We are marrying the tobaccoes from
all parts of the world and growing GER
tain kinds for wrappers and others for
filters and binders.
In this work we are aided by agri-
cultural explorers who have been sent
all over the world and who are now
scratching the skin of old mother earth
for new plants and seeds. There is a
bureau devoted to this Introduction in
the west wing of the agricultural de-
partment, and it is one of the busiest
places in Uncle Sans factory. 1t has
already introduced something like 3d.,
600 new vegetable creations and more
are arriving each day The moment one
comes in it is sent to the special sta
and develop it, and within a few days
it is under the earth and in just the
conditions fitted to give good results.
Records are kept Of every receipt and
there are now several hundred thou
sand cards which tell the story of eacn
distribution.
The Seeds and Plants of One Week.
During my stay in the department,
professor David Fairchild, who is at
the head of the bureau, showed me
something of the work as it is now go
ing on. With him went over the cards
that have been received the past week
Here are the items: The first is a new
alfalfa from Pretoria, South Africa, the
second scarce barley from NepaI in
India, and third a>Japanese larch sent
from Copenhagen in Denmark And
then we have a new magnolia from
Calcutta, which will be married to
yellow magnolia just received from
Biutenzorg. Java, a new kind of ba-
mana which comes here through the
Kew gardens of England, and 81 bulbs
of the yellow lily, which are sent from
va Chow-fu in China, on the borders
of Tibet Other importations of this
week are a white rubber from near
Buena Ventura Colombia, which it is
thought may be grown on the Ever.
r
Santa Clara, Cuba, which may with
stand the Granville tobacco insect, and
a passion fruit from Tahiti, in the
Society islands of the Southern Pacific
ocean. ISL
This passion fruit is as large as
peach, and it is thought that 1t may
be crossed with the may-pop of South
Carolina 1t makes delicious ices, and
the profits of raising it may reach as
high as $500 per acre. The fruit is now
grown in the greenhouses of England
and 1t commands a good price in the
markets.
In addition to these, the bureau re-
ceived yesterday hardy white ginger
from the province of Shantung in
China, which will be planted in Texas,
four species of persimmons from Java
and some plants related to the papaya
from the royal botanical gardens at
Rome. Explorer Parker, Of Mukden.
has just sent in eight new kinds of
soy beans from Manchuria, and some Of
these, it is thought, may produce an
oil which can be mixed with linseed oil
to be used as a paint dryer There are
also several new wheats from the
highlands of Mexico, and a number of
mangoes to be added to the several
hundred varieties which have already
been tested
New Crops for Uncle Sam.
This work of one week gives YOU
some idea of what Uncle Sam is doing
to find food for his American children.
New seeds and plants are coming in
daily by express, freight and mail and
in some cases the importations weigh
tons. Among the results already &C
complished we have now the largest
collection of date varieties known
They are growing in the gardens of
Arizona and California We have also
the greatest variety of mangoes extant
and we are testing that fruit with a
view to its introduction into Florida
Porto Rico and Hawaii We have
French artfchokes now growing in the
truck gardens of the south, Kaffir
corn from Abyssinia. which is being
tested in Kansas, and a new kind OF
oats from northern Finland, which is
being grown in Alaska. We have now
alfalfas from Arabia and Chinese Tur-
kestan We are starting a sisal hemp
industry in Porto Rico, and We are
growing japanese bamDo3s. which, it
is thought, will take the place of the
old cane brakes of the south. We have
also a valuable paper plant from Japan.
wood oil trees from China, and are
setting out, in California. Hundreds of
Dlauts which it is thought will make