The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-12-06
$4,000 MILES
FOR GIANT PEACH
Uncle Sam Sends Agricultural
Explorer on Old Trip.
WEIGHS At LEAST A FOUND.

Frank N. Meyer on His Way to Shan
tung to Obtain the Juicy Chinese
Wonder, Which Is to Be Added to the
Product of These United States-To
Spend Three Years In the Wilds.
twenty-five thousand miles looking
: for a peach-that is the stupendous
! journey which has been undertaken by
! Frank ~ Meyer, explorer and expert
for the United States department Of
! agriculture. The peach is worthy of
! the effort, according to stories that
have crept into coast areas Of Man
| churia and eastern China.
: The peach is described by travellers
who have seen and tasted it as the big
| EeSt and most marvellous combination
OF external beauty and internal lus
J ciousness. Three pounds is the apocry.
| phal limit ascribed to the fruit by lr
responsible natives of the wilds of
west China.
Mr.. Meyer in a report to the depart
ment promises peach that will weigh
at least a pound and is as as large as
a muskmelon. This wonderful peach
grows in the province of Shantung. 1t
! is known to the Chinese as the Felt
Ching or Felt Tau.
To Bring Out First Specimens.
No specimens have ever been brought
to the coast of China. Mr.. Meyer did
bring back with him from a previous
! journey several scons of the Felt
| Ching peach and a number Of seeds.
The sciOns failed to produce when
grated upon American grown seeding
stocks. They had failed to withstand
transportation.
The department experimenters took
chance with the seeds and have
grown several trees at the experiment
tai station at Fayetteville, n. c. None
of them has yet fruited, and it is the
belief of the experts that nothing eX-
traordinary will be developed from the
seedlings.
Like other fruits, the seeding peach
develops desirable fruitings only in
rare instances. According to Luther
Burbank, hardly more than one desira
bic seeding out Of a planting of 100000
seeds is to be expected.
The 25,000 mile journey of Mr.. Meyer
began when he went to London for a
conference with notable European ag-
riculturists before taking the final dive
into the orient 1t is not only the Felt
Ching peach which is sounding the call
Of the east for the American explorer.
Under the direction of the bureau of
plant industry Mr. Meyer is inaugural
ing three years sojourn in the wilds
of southeastern Russia and western
China for the purpose Of studying suit
able crops OF all sorts for growth and
development in those sections Of the
United States where the limit of frost
less days is not more than eighty-fve
or ninety per annum.
Trees For Windbreaks.
Not one branch of the activities Of
the department of agriculture, but all
branches Of its work, will be observed
by Mr. Meyer. Fruits, vegetables, ce
reals and also trees especially suited
for the development of windbreaks in
the wind swept areas Of the great
plains regions will be observed by him.
At the last session of congress an ap-
preparation of $4,000 was made for
the establishment at Mandan, N D.. Of
governmental experiment station for
Just this particular class Of vegetation.
Quick growing crops Of all sorts will
be observed, and shade trees and orna-
mental plants which can be transport
ed and transplanted to the United
States will be examined.
Mr.. Meyer is accompanied by no
American assistant. He will upon his
arrival in southeastern Russia organ
ize his own caravan. He carries with
him materials for the packing and pres
ervation OF the scions of trees and for
the carrying home of roots and seeds