Evening star., 1925-04-28
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL J.. COLLINS.

gases of different molecular forna
ton. So the farms which are doing
their utmost as to production of pres
ent familiar crops can yet add other
crops. For example the field that
has became exhausted with it's long
cropping of grain, may produce great
crops of soy beans-a plant unknown
in the United States UP to 12 or *
years ago-and the more soy beans
are grown the more fertile becomes
the soil.
One of the scientists of the Depart
ment of Agriculture has discovered
that the potato, which the Incas gave
to civilization. is worth more each
year than all the gold that Pizarro's
piratical robbers took from Peru.
though the 1ncaS ransom was q
roomful of gold. Yet the same sci
enlist has made the astonishing dis
covery that the potato was the cause
of the World War for the potato fed
too many people in Europe, until the
countries were overpopulated and
they had to kill off millions or-reduce
potato acreage.
The story is familiar of the aston
ishment of an Irishman who discov-
cred diners eating celery and ex-
claimed that they were eating the
bouquet" Time is coming when
upon our menus will be boiled Gamma
roots. mixed with nasturtiums, to-
gether with purple striped angus and
oxalis roots and the papa lisa, the lat
ter resembling the potato. All these
are as familiar in South America as
are potatoes. Why have we intro
duced only the potato and overlooked
the equally delicious roots of other
shar 80 q ndy 1nt
the poison" of tomatoes, for it was
a reputed cause of cancer. 1t, too,
came from Peru, but there is no rec
ord of Peruvian cancer.
The Department Of Agriculture is
finding more new crops for our semi
tropical Southern States than for the
North, since there is greater need for
new crops in the South.
The work of exploring for new
crops adaptable to our soil and climate
has been carried on for 25 years. The
new species are given over to some
thousands of farmers, who plant them
and report on results. Many are dis
carded after experimental planting.
In 1898 the department introduced
Durum wheat, for cultivation upon
the semi-arid plains of the Midwest
where the familiar varieties of wheat
could not be grown, because of insult
ficiency of rain. At first the Durum
was opposed by millers, but today
more than 40,000,0 900 bushels a year
are produced, mostly upon land where
other wheat could not grow. To in
troduce it cost the Government S400,-
600; now the crop is worth 200 times
that each year.
Peruvian alfalfa produces from one
to two tons more of hay per acre than
other forage crops; it pays the farm
ers So 900 900 annually. Egyptian cot.
ton has made the Salt River Valley
agriculture profitable, where there
was but desert. 1t is worth from
! So 900 900 to $40 100000 a year. Arabia
gave us the date palm; Africa the Su-
dan grass. Within nine years after
Sudan grass had come to America in
small bag of seed, it covered $780,.
900 acres with a crop worth $4,000.
900 annually. The orange and grape
fruit have thus been introduced; Sc
has the date, the Chinese jujube and
the million-dollar avocado; japanese
sugar cane giving $4,000 900 crop; the
Rhodes grass, worth 81 1000, 900 a year
! The total value of our crops intro
duced by the explorers in the last 25
years amounts to more than 500, 900,
| 900 a year. That work will go on with
| increasing momentum. Similar intro
| ductions of animals are being made
most notably the reindeer in Alaska
and improved breeds Of all domestic
animals.
lCeRyright 1895, by Paul I. coIiiasA