Evening star., 1928-04-08

rTER pitching their tents az uiS
n foot OF everlasting ice Gins on
top of the Equator and tramp
ins q few days later tnrouRh
tropical jungleS. l., w. hepI'"Is
and n. l.. Fiemeisel, plSnt eNptofeIs ..
The Department OF Agricui'urc h%ss ~,
Sust returned 10 Washington from ''e
heart Of central Africa,
The two men remained nine nionthS
q. the Kenva, TanganyiGa and ugandS
s,-SnvlaceS az East Africa, nov all un-
Ser British rule. They brought back
With then, 100 lots Of seed OF different
grasses and 400 specimens az othsr
i,isnt life, including ornamental shrubs
and flowers. some OF which have moi
aocer introduced previously into the
United States
The expedition primarily was q
Aearch for grass MIR. Kephart Is an
expert in the forage crops division oi
she B,lYeau of Plant Industry. and Mr.,
Pieneisel Is an agricultural geographer,
interested IN determining the conditions
ur6er which plants grow and compar-
ms them with similar conditions In
other ps-tS Of the world. They were
eeekinS new crops which might be IN
troduccd and 0omeStlcateo IN the
United States.
Consequently. they did not 80 to CEN
trsl Africa in search of tropical lun-
eiss. They went to find ice and snow.
cool pralvicS and temperate pasture
1srds. This is exactly what they found
In the country around the fiourlShing
British town Of Nsigobl. IN kenya prov
ince. and on the slopes of Mount Kill
rnsniaro. whose peaks. only few miles
from the Equator, are crowned with
perpetual ice and where bllxzAr0S are
\. fss,saS
Or insects
Throughout the Kenya province. says
MT Pieneisel. there are great patches
cf farming country which. except for
S1e dress Of the farmers and the lneri-
table negro population OF the villages.
might have been lifted bodily out Of
the Western United States aIlc set down
on the Equator. There are great wheat,
corn, cotton and toha eco Acids, fenced
and horderea by passaole roads and OPP
Grated With the latest agricultural ma
ehaaeEy.
New grasses to iengthen the season
cf green pastures and meadows. both
IN the North and the South. would be
. big factor in reducing the cost Of
raising live stock in the United States.
With this objective ia mind the two
grass hunters tramped more than 500
miles through Kenya and Tanganyika
highlands. formerly known as British
ard German East Africa collecting seeo
O. every promising plant. The collec-
ton amounts 10 about IS per cent Of
the forage grasses of the region.
THE struggle for grass is an age-old
q drama The primitive animal hus-
Sandman, when q shortage of grass
threatened his herds and docks. WAS
forced to move his starving animals
from the region Of drought. often over
mountains covered with ice and snow
and through swollen streams 10 distant
green valleys in his yearly quest for
grass. But il Is impossible TO do this
any longer The hnSbanduan must re-
main on the same acres year after year.
taxing things as they come. C0nse-
cuen1av the government must bring the
grass 70 him. reversing the process OF
primitive agriculture. Department OF
Agriculture explorers have penetrated
eon1e Of the most dificult corners O. the
earth in this quest.
For the grass hunter the Kenya and
Tansanvika highlands have a pecu-
Nar interest Although the climate is
cold the DAYS and nights are Of equal
length The length Of the day has
profound influence on the seeding and
frIiiting of plants. In no other place
In the world are grasses 70 be found
growing naturally under such conditions
Of lou temperature and l2-hour days
and nights Many seeds were gathered
IN sight of glaciers 200 feet thick and
Keplaags and Piemeisel suffered more
inconvenience from cold than from
heat
Gathering seeds on the mountain
Slopes was often difhcult. because Of
the nature OF the grasses. Most Of
them shed their seed as soon as it is
ripe ard the explorers were forced
either 70 take green seed from the
plants Or 10 gather ripe seed from the