. New Farm Plants Work of the United States GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL. Department of Agriculture. A feature of the work of the De- partment of Agriculture which holds | out enormous promise is the work of foreign agricultural exploration and the introduction of new and rare seeds and plants, American agriculture is a compara- tively new thing. Our climatic and soll conditions are largely different from those of old countries whence our fathers came, and the bulk of our agricultural products have been Intro- duced from abroad. Because our dad- dies did it before us, is a sufficient ex- cuse for the majority of men to go ahead planting and cultivating in the same old way, but as a matter of fact the original producers of any of our common crops, a hundred or two hun- dred years ago, may have started wrong or have started in some particu- lar locality with seme particular crop not very well adapted to that sec tion. For two hundred years our an- cestors may have been making a lv. ing by growing that crop, and yet It may be that in some section of France, | or perhaps Turkestan, where the soll} and climate exactly corresponds, a particular plant is being grown to-day which is far superior as a money pro- ducer. This ig not a mere theory, for every little while some agricultural explorer of the Department sends In a new species, or perhaps merely a new vari-| ety common grain, for in- stance, which upon trial proves to be a much heavier and better yielder| than the kind that our farmers have been growing since the Indians occu pied the land. Secretary Wilson takes much stock in his agricultural explorers, and he} has some energetic young men who are both botanists and linguists and | have become almost as familiar with agricultural pm of some known and difficuli to reach cor-| net lobe as they are with the farms of the United States. The writer | is indebted to David G. Fairchild for] an intensely interesting talk on foreign | of some i the oductions ittie 8 of the gl ae | the department, and their have in mind, because we have only a very small supply of the new seed for test, and not enough this year for dis- tribution, but our agents have tried It in various states, and in every instance I think, where the experiment was in- telligently made, the yield of the new variety was very much larger.” The Dates of Persia. Mr. Fairchild has made plant ex- plorations through many of the most imteresting countries of the globe Peru, where the Incas once practiced agriculture and Irrigation on a splen- did scale; Chill, a temperate country, where many plants were found sult able for our conditions; China, India, Chaldea, and numerous others. At the last place, near Bagdad, are found the | immense date groves of the land of | Babylon, where are produced probaoly | three-fourths of all the dates of com- | merce. These vast date forests extend | for a distance of seventy miles up and down the Tigris. Many fine date suck- | ers were obtained by Mr. Fairchild | and shipped to the United States, and are now growing in Arizona, and some | day the great Colorado river of our| Southwest, where the conditions are] exactly favorable for date growing, | may not only produce all the dates which America uses, but export this wholesome fruit, Dates picked, packed and shipped by American wethods will bring a higher price than the lwported products, which, if the history of their packing were known, might not be eaten with such avidity by the fastidious. The saccharine of | the date itself cures or candies the fruit, and some of the trees which have already fruited in Arizona and California have ylelded very fancy and fine dates. For a long time to come, all of the dates produced in the United States will come from the Tigris and North African trees, imported through progeny fancy date suckers—will command prices. third of the United States. Herein lies the importance of this work, The finding of Japanese bamboo was no discovery; the Importance lies in find. ing that they will thrive in our climate. Not only are they the most ornamental plant in the world, but they are prob- ably the most useful wood in Japan, not only for the making of fancy fur niture and knick-knacks, but for al most every use. “Tell me what you enn use wood for,” sald Mr. Fairchild, “and 1 will tell you what use the Japanese can make of bamboo,” Better Than the Congressional Free Seed Farce. Dozens of other extremely interest. ing and promising plants were found, quantities purchased and sent home for tests. The number of these dis-| coveries and introductions is so great, | and such an exhaustive test Is in each | ease made by the Department before anything Is recommended for introduc tion, that it is practically useless for | farmers or fruit growers to write the! Department for samples of the strange and Interesting things which Its agri-| cultural explorers have secured, and] which are described from time to time | in the magazines, Until any product | has been tested and is determined to] be practicable for growth In the | United States, it is not possible to se-| cure any seeds or specimens. In fact, | the Department has none. Those that | are sent In are immediately distributed | among the Government experiment] {| stations and to a few practical grow- ers who are especially able to properly attend to the experiments under the direction of the Department. How ever, the possibilities of these tests are very great, and Congress would be well warrunted In diverting some of the immense annual appropriation for “free seeds” into this channel of intro ducing to American farmers something which may prove of real and national benefit | ] | teristic of the late President | Wis | his ability to sur | usunl | Cabinet | Department | surpassing ld No Resigonation for Seaselary Wilson There Are many good amd sufficient reasons why Secretary Wilson whom the sensationalists have indirectly if not directly held accountable for the cotton scandal in his Department, will not resign. Whether or not Mr, Wilson ig even indirectly responsible for the eriminal doings of trusted employes, he is the man directly responsible for a most wonderful development and evo- lution in the Department of Agricul- ture. And a man who can revolution. ize agriculture in an agricultural na- tion in a space of eight years and with- al win the confidence of the farmers generally can not be spared JAMES WILSON, BECRETAR) AGRICULTURE the striking charac MeKind Judgment of mo wand 1 most Perhaps his sound the ablest sitll owe to this keenness ability thu of Secret Cou wre ( in recog Ry War Governor ry War, son of the Depart: wn All of these v Hay becan not the Ww burden Department of of i Ware : 1 thi Hippines and Reeret of & = Foster’s Idea ith Mi "reside the Witl of for | place on is now talked that, a N the « devel of services rendered to internal Mr. Wilson in the gre domain of agriculture its that of In Perfect Adaptability Under all Conditions to The Strong 01d Hickory MANUFACTURED BY Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Co. LOUISVILLE, KY. LARGEST PRODUCERS OF FARM WAGONS IN THE WORLD OOOOOOOOL ; Li PIANOS AND ORGANS NDARD OF THE WORLD ETA Cribs Accident Proof of unfailing service COOOOOO0O00000 | PENSIONS. Over oye Mi " 3 owed our Ci i Ilion Dollars al s during the last ¥ aid. 1X Vi 5 . Over one Thousand claimsallowed through us dur- ing the last six mont} Dise ability, Age and Ine crease pcusions obtained in the shortest ( ble tim Widows’ claims a specialty Usually granted within 90 days if placed with us immedi- ately on soldier Fees fixed by li an ivable out of pension 3 ¢ Ce ] xX DEeTIence r tls - +14 dea allowed ul e at rv | : i 1 hed. 1 i Magis. rily benefited by sending us aims TABIR & WHITMAN CO., Varder Bid'g, Washington, D.C. “a } { never been equalled. He came { Cabinet both a practical farmer | trained scientist, From the tall end {the Cabinet Departments he has - VIEWS TAKEN GROVE BY plants Mr six different pretty nearly He is one “bright young men,” and he has or-| gnnized and Is in charge of the sec tion of Plant and Seed Production, at) present a modest branch of the De partment, but one which Is destined, in my Judgment, to become one of is most Important bureaus. This divi sion already has some ten thousand plants new to America, which are be Ing grown and tested all over the coun try. Fairchild speaks five or] languages and knows every plant that grows. | of Secretary Wilson's | New Plants of Promise. “There Is not a state nor a territory in the country,” sald Mr. Fairchild, “in which the crops, staple and subsidiary, are not capable in many cases of be | ing supplanted by more successful ones. 1 have found new plants and new varieties of old ones almost every- where 1 turned, In every one of the grand divisions of the earth, which somewhere in our own country will constitute an improvement upon toe crops our farmers are already grow- ing, Our farmers are growing pei: haps barley or wheat or some other staple crop and are making money from It, and are satisfied, yet it may be that there is a variety or a strain more exactly adapted to their cond) tions of soll and climate which will yield them several bushels more per acre with the same labor. 1 could mention varieties of several staple crops which, upon the tests made in this country during the past year or two, have shown a very larg Increase over the ordinary yield of those crops. I will not name the kind of grain I AGRICULTURAL A NATIVE ARAB POLLENATING A DATE TREE; DATE SUCKERS BAGGED READY FOR SHIP MENT TO WASHINGTON. AND CAMELS BROWSING IN A FIELD OF BEERSEEM OR EGYPTIAN CLOVER. MA EXPLORER FAIRCHILD, SHOWING Seeldless Grapes, Malting Barley and Luxuriant Hops. On a tour of investigation through | Europe, Mr. Fairchild secured many | Important fruits and vegetables, The | Sultanina seedless grape was sent in! from Italy. The Huasco seedless raisin grape was another find. The best] malting barley mm the world was found growing at an old town in Mo- ravia. Introduced under the name of Hlanna barley, It has alfeady proved | of value to those reglons where it has | been grown, especially on the Pacific const. It Is not only earlier, but! heavier yielding than other barleys: and If it is found that it can be gen- erally substituted for the barleys now grown, its Increased yield of from one to two and a half bushels per acre will ! add enormously to the aggregate out put. A study of the hop regions of Eu- rope disclosed the fact that the Ameri can hop Is far Inferior in quality to the best European varieties, The hm | portation of young plants for the pur-| pose of producing better American hops was undertaken by the Depart | ment as 4 result of this discovery. Bamboo Will Thrive in U, 8, The Jordan almond, the finest va- riety in the world, was found growing in Spain, and at once recognized as far superior to the almonds produced in the United States, so a supply was im- mediately secured and shipped. A discovery which Mr. Fairchild thinks of great Iv ortance are the hardy bamboos of pan. These are now be ing tested m California and the Bouth- ern States, Mr. Fairchild thinks they will thrive throughout the southern * THE IRRIGATION OF A DATE A Peculiar Horse. The excellence of the English Colo nial educational systems is evidenced by the following Interesting descrip tion of the horse by a Bombay stu dent: “The horse Is a very noble quadru ped, but when he is angry he will not do so, He Is ridden on the spinal cord by the bridle and sadly the driver places his foots on the stirrup, and divides his lower limbs across the sad- dle, and drives his animal to the mendow, He has a long mouth, and his head is attached to*the trunk by a long protuberance called the neck. He has four legs; two are in the front side and two are afterwards. These are the weapons on which he runs, and also defends himself by extending those in the rear in a parallel direction toward his foe, but this he does only when in a vexatious mood. His food: ing 18 generally grasses and grains He Is also useful to take on his back A man or woman as well as some car go. He has power to run as fast as he could, He has got no sleép at night time, and always standing awaken. Also there are horses of short sizes. They do the same as the others are generally doing. There is no animal like the horse; no sooner they see thelr guardian or master they always crying for fooding, but it Is always at the morning time. They have got tall, but not so long as the cow 7d other such like similar animals.” | splenous the Ministry of Agriculture wm, outshining several of the other Departments, and Ameri can agriculture has come to have a new | and greater world meaning because of | his active constructiveness and never | gagging energy. Secretary Wilson rendering the American farmer a notable service and he has won the confidence of the Peo ple to a great degree | by the many tu ; the recent in b Dep Rather than being censurable ‘graft” discovered, it i ! Wilson's high credit that so little of this sort of thing to build posit i in is eviden 1 id } : ns butes 3 trouble ® o0 has « u ures ’ mpossible CTR individuals rolls for gain other than their lesigning the purpo salaries Secretary Wilson will 1 demands of a few simply the Lia OTR, Ca tse it to 1 is benefitt #0 largely ng y tl is splendid work will not hear of ny more than they would Secretary Taft's resignation fi the disgrace of every army office President that one out badly. ART owing r. or to Roosevelt's retire every of his ment time urns appointu onls A SOME AFTER THOUGHTS, Distr Attorney Jere gars be Ne - Y me of New York Scient can lis neck has ticians there intact =! have time a good many with necks been dead ones for some ling a divorce sult, a nati has stated that “a man | entitied wOR supper, and a hot supper at that when be gets home.’ The evidence shows that this man got a great many hot roasts | pon his return home, but not of the kind that be could eat nel In d«¢ Judge “Why would you not get married In August asks Nigzola-Greeley Smith in | writing veently of summer weddings. | The reason A good many of us would not is due to a disinelination to violate the law | against bigamy ] Prices In Nebraska and Missouri are quite uniform. A Nebraska man claims to | have ki 1 six anthiruse bills in the state | legislature for $5,000. That's what taey | charge Missouri, $1,000 a plece-dozen | rates, $10,066 woman bore seven children has been forwarded A Hawalian At once Photograph to the White House ——— There are A great many tall bank cash. | lors who are sa short at the banks that they hat bad to go abroad on health | trips, y ] A London scientist has cabled the yellow fever authorities that he has something good for mosquitoes. What is wanted is something extremely bad which will make them very sick at the stomach, At what time shall a man retire from | active fe? asks the ‘Boston Globe ** What particular kind? Automobile dodge ing or defending himself from Insurance agents? "Non possimus’’ simply means “nothing doing."’ Chalrman Shonts says the i on the Canal with Yoraity he ids RE aud “are work and geal.’ ever, for ) proves the ABSOLUTE RELIABILITY Rem TYPEWRITER WYCKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT BY) BROADWAY, NEW TORK n organization a # the present Department of Agriculture without ome evil creeping in and without sons AMERICAN GROWN SOAP [a a green 80aD,” consistency “of paste, s perfect cleanser for automobile machinery snd all vehicles; will sot injure the most highly polished surface. Made from pure regetable oils. If your dealer does not wiry AMERICAN CROWN SOAP in stock, send us his mame and address and we will see that your wants are sup plied. Put up ia 1214 25 and 50 Id. alls. 2 JAMES $. 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