Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-19

While dirt farmers and gentleman
| agriculturists are holding their
)reaths in suspense as to what they
| should SOW or plant after the crop
Of vetoes is harvested, the Depart
ment of Agriculture is interested
| ,ather in what will develop from the
| -ecent importations of new varieties
| IF vegetables, grains and fruits from
| China.
| For two and half years DIR. p. H.
| Dorset and his son of the Department
| u Agriculture have Travelled in China,
seeking new plants suitable for growth
in the different parts of America
They have only recently returned in
| safety, and while they had heard that
there was growing unrest in some
parts of that vast country, they bring
| no stories of romantic adventures
I! though they penetrated into regions
where hostilities are now rampant.
| On the other hand, they found cor
diality and cooperation everywhere.
They made headquarters first in
Picking latter stopping awhile in
| ShanghaD; then, from Peking they
| they moved on to Hardin, Manchuria;
| thence, later, to the tropics, visiting
| the islands Of CeylOn, Sumatra and
Java. and finally returned to Hardin.
Much Of the travelling was on foot,
| with burros and coolies to carry the
baggage and specimens Of seeds. trees
| and plants.
Everywhere the natives showed the
explorers all cooperation. without
charge, except in one case Of a farmer,
| who actually demanded money for
certain specimens Of seed--14 cents,
Mexican. equivalent to about or 7
| cents American money. In some in
| stances the official cooperation went
so far as to supply the American
| scientists with private car and free
transportation on the government
owned railroads.
Even the Russians in China Joined
readily in cooperating with the Dor
sett expedition. A Russian botanist,
| teaching agriculture in the Hardin
High School, planted 100 varieties of
soy beans and several of mung beans
in order to supply them to the Amer
lean explorer, and he gave the vines
and all.
| The most important seed obtained is
| that of a variety of soy beans, which.
it is believed, will add 1000 to 1900
| square miles to the available bean
| territory In the United States.
| All scientific agriculturists agree
that what American farmers need
most, to stabilize their profits, is
greater diversity in their crops. If
they can be induced, therefore, to
plant soy beans, where now they de-
pend on grain, they will lessen their
chances of crop failures. Besides,
beans conserve fertility by extracting
nitrogen from the air and leaving it
in the soil, in place of feeding wholly
on the stored fertility of the soil.
In China, 1900, 900 acres are devoted
to soy beans; already in America,
100000 acres are so planted.
X Il X "
The soy bean is used not only for
food, but especially for oil, the base
Of certain varnishes, soaps and curds.
DR.. Dorset sent over 100 varieties
| of the beans, not merely the seeds.
| but whole vines, bearing seeds, roots
and leaves, which fullneSS OF exhibits
| enables the botanistS to save a year
in studying the imported specimens,
instead of waiting to grow crops from
| the seeds.
| Among other new things brought
over from backward China" Is a
| seedless banana, which can be repro
duced only from the root, or by graft
ing. Perhaps it may flourish in our
Gulf States.
All Of our present varieties Of chest
, nut trees are being destroyed by a
fungus blight. DIR. Dorset has found
what he believes Is a disease-resistent
chestnut. growing in China and Korea.
1t will take years to replace the
destroyed chestnut trees now dying,
but If 1t be proved that the Korean
tree does resist the disease, the result
of that importation alone will well
lrepay the cost Of the Dorset explora-
ton.
X X
Some years ago. other explorers
imported into the United States from