. The story of agriculture in the United States. erty. Many important varieties of pears and apples havebeen developed from chance seedlings that happened toattract attention. The Baldwin apple had its origin inthis manner, in 1782, and a monument has been erectedon the spot where the original tree stood. By carefulselection, also, there were developed the Northern Spy,beginning in 1800, and the Jonathan (1829). TheWealthy apple is the result of persistent efforts made byPeter M. Gideon of Minnesota, about 1855, to find an 1 The scientific work of the Department of Agriculture is describedin t
. The story of agriculture in the United States. erty. Many important varieties of pears and apples havebeen developed from chance seedlings that happened toattract attention. The Baldwin apple had its origin inthis manner, in 1782, and a monument has been erectedon the spot where the original tree stood. By carefulselection, also, there were developed the Northern Spy,beginning in 1800, and the Jonathan (1829). TheWealthy apple is the result of persistent efforts made byPeter M. Gideon of Minnesota, about 1855, to find an 1 The scientific work of the Department of Agriculture is describedin the next chapter. ERA OF SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 289 apple tree that would endure the great cold of the North-west. Each year, for nine years, he planted enoughseed to grow a thousand trees, but all the seedlings werekilled. Finally, from one small crab tree there wasdeveloped the fine variety now so famous, named forhis wife, Wealthy. Some of our most important varieties in plums, berries,and tomatoes are the product of careful hybridization —. Prize Corn the crossing of two or more varieties. Within the lastfifty years, the tomato has been changed from a small,lobed fruit to its present size and shape. The EarlyRose potato dates from about 1861. -Many famousvarieties were thus produced before the science of plantbreeding came into being. But now the plant breeders,work inteUigently, according to natures laws, withoutsuch waste of time and effort as formerly. They planto bring about certain quaHties in plants — a -beardlessbarley, a cold-resisting wheat, a longer stapled cotton —and they succeed. Breeding associations in large num-bers are studying, experimenting, and spreading broad- 290 AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES cast the result of their work, to improve the quahties ofour farm plants. The original American Indians practiced seed selectionin their growing of maize; but a wonderful change hasbeen brought about in the size and character of thisgrain, by the systemati
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
