Evening star., 1925-01-06

Harvard, Its tree-crowned hills will
still invite the student for centuries aft
er other departments # the university
have been forced to find larger accom-
mediation"
= x X
While other arboreta are now main
tanned as parks for the enjoyment Of
beauty lovers, the Arnold Arboretuu
is active in scientific research, as viii
also be the national institution IA
| thered by the pending Pepper-Luce bill
At present, according to DR. Sargent
the Arnold Arboretum is the only
museum in the world devoted exelu-
sively to increasing the knowledge Of
trees, but if the national arboretum
be established with its connection
with the DEPARTMENT of Agriculture
the work If research will be i'm
mensely augmented.
What such research and plant evo-
luton may accomplish can best be il
lustrated by some of the pioneer eff
| forts of individuals long before the
| science of agriculture and horticul- +.
| ture had been systematized as it is
| today.
1t is less than a century ago that
| the catawba grape was produced in
a vineyard owned by Revolutionary
veteran, Maj Album. a native of York.
/ the bank of Rock Creek and extended
| up the hills, to near where is now
| building the great National Cathe-
dral OF the Episcopal Church, Mount
Afban.
| Maj. Adlur was scientific expert
| menter in horticulture. and in his
| vineyard he planted several varieties
| of wild grapes, including the variety
| found in 1921, by DR.. Solomon Beach
near Murraysv:lle. Ohio. This so re-
sembled the tokay grape that when
| 1t ripened in the Adlum vineyard il
was at first called tokay. Maj. Ad-
| lum unselfshlv gave slips of the vine
! to many friends, including Nicholas
Longworth, grandfather of Repre-
| sentative Longworth, and through
| those slips there was developed A
great grape and wine industry in and
. around Cincinnati.
| Twenty or thirty years prior to the
| development of the catawha Crane a
! Swiss family, named DTfour, under
took to grow a vineyard in Kentucky.
| but without financial success, and 1t
was not believed that any but wild
| grapes would flourish. While the
| success of Mai. Album was not
ascribed to science, yet it demon
strated that early failures proved moth
ing as to possibilities.
x X x X
more recent illustration of horti-.
cultural achievement is pointed out
in the discovery of the secret of
growing blueberries. These luscious
| berries grew wild throughout the
| Northwest and some sections in the
East and South, and it was noted that
certain bushes gave especially fine
fruit, but when they were trans
planted into the gardens of expert
menters they died within a year. DR.
! Coville of the Department of Agri-
culture investigated the cause of the
dying and discovered that the wild
blueberries thrived only in acid soil
and when they were transplanted in
rich neutral or alkaline soil, which,
is most desirable for other plants.
they were out Of their element and
died. Most of the formerly worthless
acid soil may now be used for grow
ing the finest, largest, sweetest Of
blueberries, and a great berry indus
try will be developed.
These successes indicate what will
be accomplished in scientifically
managed arboretum. The soil of the
Mount Hamilton location is varied :;
the altitude is varied and ideal CON
ditions are there found for testing all
kinds of trees and plants imported by
Department Of Agriculture scouts
from Asia, Africa, South America and
the islands of the sea. Actual condi-
tions will be recorded and tests will
be varied until the best conditions
adapted to each tree or plant will be
proved: Eventually branch arboreta
} will be established in Florida, Loui-
} siana and California for experiment
ing with subtropical plants and tre@as
copyright. 1925. BIZ Paul W Collins.A