Evening star., 1926-05-13

The Senate has adopted measure
IN create an arboretum along the Ana
costa River. on which Will be plan
every tree which this climate VIII
grow. The bill has not yet passed In
the House, but 1t is expected 10 meet
no serious opposition.
The need and impoita ot ma
tional arboretum to be managed II.
connection with the department ol
aericulture is often confused by the
overemphssis of the recreational ad-
vantages of it's broad acres TO pe
marked with beautiful and interesting
Irees and shrubs and the serious scleh'
tific purpose is lost 10 sight.
OF what practical use can such
coIIectiop OF trees he more than is
the collection OF wild animals in the
Geological Garden" The answer az
given by DIR. William A. TaHlor' chiei
Of the Bureau of Plant INDUSTRY De-
partment of Agriculture, SHOWS ihuci.
more serious and important purpose Oh
the arboretum than playground Tor
the public OF a ''tree-Zoo lor scieh
fists.
Washington already possesses
small arboretum in it's trees growing
upon Capitol Hill and upon the
grounds of the Smithsonian institution
and the Department OF Agriculture
and in the Botanic Garden. Ihese
date back to 1851 when thelr piaht.
ing was done under the direction oi
Mr.. II. A. Downing. About 50 years
ago the Department of :AsflcuItule
besan the systematic importation
,f seeds and plants from all over the
world Through the cooperation OI
the state experiment stations anQ o!
men of wealth and horticuit uial en-
thusiasm several minor arboretulnS
have been developed, chief of wnlcn
ave the Arnold Arboretum, connecteu
with Harvard University; tne Sha"
Gardens of ST Louis ana the arpoIe
tum near Chicago estabilsneo ID! vi
Joy Morton. son of the FORMER
retary of Agriculture, ). Sterhhs Moi
ton.
put how does such sclentifc work
interest the average man! Inc an
ever IL that but for science and It's
importation and breeding or trees,
fruits and vegetables We, today Wouiu
have no potatoes. no tomatoes ho
appIes. pears, plums, cherries OF
peaches. We would have no nuts eA-
cent pecans tand even they would pc
currants or gooSeberries, except IN.
sie nificaut wild varieties. There would
he no American oranges. lemons or
yrauefruit nor even the luscious
wberries. until science had intro
duced the parents from North ana
South America and. by horticultural
union, bred up their progeny-tne nhe
herries we now know. Experiments
are introducing nearly all the trOplcal
fruits into our South. and Cailfornla
figs are now rivaling those Which
made Smyrna famous.
American horticultural science is
thus bringing into our own gardens
and orchards the best fruits and veSe-
tables of the whole world-such as
certainly were not indigenous To Amer
ica when Ponce de Leon arrived in the
"FIower Country" las he called Flor
ida). nor when the cavaliers founded
Virginia. nor when the Pilgrims
landed on bleak Plymouth Rock.
The part which science played in in
Producing figs into California has often
heen related. but still 1t remains the
most romantic, as we'll as the most
typical. story in our horticulture.
There was no doubt that the climate
of California was suitable TO growing
figs: II corresponds with that sur
rounding smyrna. in Asia Minor. As
SMYRNA figs were the finest in the
world. Smyrna trees were planted In
California, but year after year they
produced no mstured fruit; the young
green figs would fall from the trees.
There Is variety Of fig tree origi-
mating upon the Island of Capri which
peyer n,,oduces figs 1t has long been
grown also in the smyrna region.
though only for ornament. according
to Smyrna fig growers. An American
scientist, Swingell, travelling for the
Department of Agriculture, explored
the fig orchards about Smyrna and
noted there tiny wasp which laid it's
eggs in the blossoms of the Capri fig
tree, and when these eggs were hatch
ed the Young wasps hunted eagerly
for more fig blossoms In which to lay
their eggs. and when all the Capri
blossoms were occupied they few also
to the Smyrna varieties. carrying
Capri pollen on their legs and wings,