Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-09-10

about ones mashie. Professor
Piper, sound golfer as he is, has been
known to address extremely pertin-
ent remarks to this particular grass
on occasions. But that Is by the
way.
A native of the north Pacific coast
where grass and everything else
grows thick, Charles Vancouver
Piper has been an ardent student of
plant life since boyhood. He began
to study botany at 10; at IL he agi-
tated the family by bringing home
specimens of skunk cabbage and
other odoriferous plants indigeous
to the region.
AT 10 he was president OF the
Young Naturalists, a society of
youths that studied the flora and
tauna OF western Washington, the
studies sometime s extending to the
nelghbors' apple orchards. At Is he
received the degree of bachelor OF
science from the University OF Wash
ington. That was in 1885. Seven
years later that institution conferred
the degree OF master Of science on
him, and later work at Harvard
brought him the same degree from
that institution.
Most of his real studying, how
ever has been done in the field. In
boyhood and early manhood he wan
Gered over the mountains and the
valleys of the Pacific Northwest ever
botanizing. Many plants new to sci
ence were found by him. Part of his
labors are embodied in ponderous
volume on the flora of WASHINGTON
state, published by the Smithso Tan
Institution. Since then he has Wit
ten much, his list of works including
Forage Plants, is a recognized stand
ard of information on the subject.
From 1892 to 1903 he was pro-
lessor of botany and zoology at the
Washington Agricultural College,
where his work attracted the atten-
ton of the department of agricul-
ture. This led, in 1903, to his be-
ing called to Washington as agros-
tologist in charge of forage crop in
YestigatiOns in the department S bu-
reau OF plant industry, which means
that he is the grass man of the
department.
Now, many years ago the depart
ment realized that one of the press
ing needs of the farmer was a grass
that would give profitable hay yields
on dry western prairies. For 20
years the search continued. Then
Professor Piper, grass man and
plant detective, solved it.
In the course of long experimental
ton at one time it was hoped that
the desired grass had been found in
smoothe bronze grass, but this has
never succeeded south of Kansas, nor
in the drier lands that are farmed
to wheat.
But to tell the story of the hunt
for the new grass, Of the manner in
which the clues were obtained, and
OF the manner in which they were
worked out.
The introduction of Kaffir corn
and other sorghums about 1876
opened up a new era in the agrlcul-
ture of the western dry lands. The
sorghums are a remarkable group of
plants developed to high degree in
Africa and southern Asia. In the
number of it's varieties and in the
great differences these display, sor-
ghum is eQualed by no other crop IN
cultivation. Throughout Africa the
negroes and Arabs cultivate numer-
GUS varieties for the seed, which Is
their breadstuff. The cultivation is
undoubtedly very ancient as the eX-
IRENE diversity Of the cultivated va
| rieties attests.
One of the fascinating studies OF
the botanist is to trace the origin OF
, long cultivated plants back to their
wild originals. Frequently they are
SO changed by cultivation that the
| problem becomes enormously DIM
cult. Thus the wild originals OF corn
and of beans, two plants cultivated
| by the American Indians, have never
yet been determined. There exists
, also doubt about the wild ancestors
3 of our common cereal crops-Wheat'
3 rye, barley and oats.
- So far as the sorghums are con-
cerned the problem of their origin
l was first scientifically studied by
= Hacked, a noted Austrian Dotanist
q Hackeps studies were based on pre-
SERVED specimens mainly and ne