The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-05-12

industry, or winch william "A. IayJO1
is the chief. 49,.
There are Americans of less than
middle, age who ought to remember
Capt. Mayne Reds story. "'rhe Plant
Hunters" Captain Reid was an Eng
;llshman and the heroes of his tale
were English plant hunters sent out
on exploring sand collecting eXpedi-
tions, just as the United States today
sends out American explorers and
collectors. .',''
1t is the work of the explorers Of
the department to find somewhere in
the world useful plants which can be
;transplanted and made to grow in the
united States for the benefit nf it's
people. The bureau is responsible for
the date palm in the Southwest; for
some dozens Of varieties of alfalfa
now fourishing in places in the United
States where it was not supposed that
alfalfa would grow; for bOuntlful
bearing fruit trees in many parts of
the country where fruit Of the kind
was thought to be an fmpossibility,
and for many other shrubs and plants
hnd trees which have been OF service
TO men elsewhere and which today are
proving Of like service to the people
of this country.
Plant hunters in the employment
of the American government undergo
all kinds of hardships. 1t was not
long ago that Frank N. Meyer died.
He was one of the most intrepid and
industrious of Uncle Sans plant men.
! What They Must Undergo.
Some few years ago Meyer under
took a trip of 1000 miles in the in
terests of the needs of his fellow
countrynten. His journey began at
st. Petersburg and ended in eastern
China. This has been written of his
Journey:
HE has\ frozen and melted alter
hately as the ATTITUDES have changed.
He has encountered wild beasts and
men nearly as wild. He has scaled
glaciers and crossed chasms of dizzy
ing depths. He has been the subject
of the always alert Suspicious OF for
eign government officials and or
strange peoples, jealous OF Intrusion
into their lands, but he has found
what he was sent for"
The plant hunter has to carry with
him a mental map Of his home coun-
try. When he discovers a species or
plant useful for food or for raiment,
lie must know by instant reference to
the chart in his head what section or
the United States it is in which the
discovered species may have chance
to flourish. HE gathers with full
knowledge of the locality in which one
day Americans may sit under the
shade of Himalaya tree or gather
fruit from Il Himalaya vine.'
The Himlaya mountains have yield
ed much to plant life which has proved
| serviceable to the American people
IA species Of poplar which has strong
misunderstanding power has been
transplanted from Asia into semi-arid
regions Of the, United States where irri-
, cation is not possible. There It lis
doing service as q shade tree. 1t has
helped in the process of home making
m places where it was thought there
could he no homes.
i Bring New Varieties\o Of Fruits.
! Down in the southwestern parts Of
our country some Of the people in the
proper season are picking and eating
cherries whose native habitat Is SOUTH
ern Turkestan. No American cherry
would grow In the sections where the
Asiatic cherry now Is flOurishing. The
fruit has flavor and julciness like
that of the best New England product
and in eating it man ought to, If he
does not, think Of him who underwent
hmdships on his account.
Nhe bureau Of plant industry has
! deweloped puckerless and seedless
peEslnmon. \ good many years ago
one of the plant hunters found such
Il pelsimmon in the interior Of China.
He took cuttings Of the trees and
shippen them to the Agricultural de-
partmentA where the experts succeed
led in making them grow rapidly and
Eventually 70 bear abundantly. 1t Is
said today that in parts Of the South
there are under cultivation acres Of
puckerfesS seedless perSimmOns. The
importation of the Chinese fruit
proved to be Il success.
| Something has been written of the
importation of species of alfalfa which
hmve been found growing in other
countries. The explorers have found
Hlfalfas growing in foreign lands I'M
der climatic conditions which were
unfavorable to the various species Of
the plant which already were under
cultivation in tine United States. These
varying aEfhlfas were brought into
this country and introduced in places
where the conditions of climate were
| like those Of their native heaths. The
result has been that,a good many dis
tricts of the United States have been
made rich with alfalfa, districts in
(which it was not thought that the
plant could survive for a single sea-
son.