The Colorado statesman., 1917-03-17
Many Are Being Tested by Uncle
Sam Before Being Admitted
to Country.
UNDESIRABLES' ARE BARRED
Gardens Maintained by the Govern
ment Are the "Ellis Islands" of
the Plant immigration
Service.

A wide variety of promising for
eign plants are now being propagated
and tested by Uncle Sam in the plant
Introduction gardens malntaiped by
the United States department of ag-
riculture in Florida, California, Wash
ington and Maryland.
These gardens may be called the
'Ellis islands" of the plant-immigra-
tlon service. In them the plant immi-
grants are carefully studied, in order
to make sure that they carry with
them no disease, and only those which
are known to be desirable additions
are permitted to make home in this
country. The plants which have sue
cessfully passed this scrutiny are dis
tributed to the state experiment sta
tions and to thousands of experiment.
ers and breeders throughout the coun-
try.
At the present time, says an article
by p. II. Dorsett in the 1916 Yearbook
of the department, much attention is
being bestowed upon recent importa-
tions from China. Among these are
the jujube. This, it is said, may well
prove commercially profitable in Cali
fornia and the semiard South and
Southwest. When prepared with cane
sugar, jujubes have as delicate flavor
ns many dates. 1t is also very good
fresh fruit and has long been popular
In China.
Chinese Trees for Parks.
The Chinese pistache is another i'm
portntion which has been suggested
for use as an avenue tree. Thousands
of young trees have been distributed
TO parks throughout the country for
this purpose. One advantage of this
tree is the great age to which it lives.
For the production of nuts the variety
of pistache found in central and west
ern Asia is being tried. At present
the entire supply of the nuts used in
the coloring and flavoring of ice cream
and. candy comes from abroad but It
is said that there is no reason why
this country should not grow It's own
supply, The Sacramento and San Jo-
auuin valleys in California appear to
be well suited to the industry.
Chinese persimmons and Chinese
chestnuts are also being tested. 1t Is
believed that the Chinese chestnut
may prove exceptionally valuable be-
cause of its power to resist the chest
nut bark disease, which is doing so
much damage among the native chest
nuts The persimmon, it Is thought,
might be grown commercially in Cali
fornia and in those sections in the
South where the temperature does not
fall much below zero. In China ana
Japan dried persimmons are staple
food, and there seems to be no rea-
son why they should not be eaten
largely in the future in this country.
Early Cherry Is Introduced.
Still another importation is an early
sweet cherry which has been intro
duced from Tangshi, China. This may
prove profitable to growers as an
early cherry for the eastern markets
A number of new vegetables, too
are now being tested in the plant In
PRODUCTION gardens. Among these are
the chayote from tropical America
This vine produces pear-shaped fruit
in abundance in the fall. They some
what resemble in flavor summer
squash or vegetable marrow, and may
be used as a fresh vegetable through
out the winter.
The udo is new salad plant IRON
Japan that may be grown in practlcal
Iy every state. This is grown in mucf
the same way as asparagus and may
be cooked as well in the same way
A few plants of udo, says the article
should be in every home garden.