This article is a good read. A part of seed history I wasn't aware of, it is an overview of the history of how seeds from Russia saved us years and years of plant breeding to get varieties suitable for planting in the Great Plains.
This is also a plea from Russia for help when they were struggling to feed all their people.
The dark grey mass of Russian immigrants walking down the gangplank to the pier after a long trip across the ocean carried unwieldy packs filled with all manner of things full of memories, and at the bottom of each of those sacks was sure to be found a bundle containing precious seeds of plants grown back home.
The Mennonite from Molochnaya and other colonies of Crimea and Ekaterinoslav Province brought with him Crimean, Turkey Red and Kharkov wheats and Kherson oats. The Molokans brought Sandomirka and Kustavka wheats. The natives of Kiev Province brought flax, sunflower, proso (millet) as well as wheat, and the seeds of watermelon and of Russian flowers. After much roving and much labor, the day at last arrived when the Russian immigrant farmer could apply his labor on his own land in a new country. And now the little bundles of seeds from home were carefully unknotted, and calloused, horny hands threw the Russian seeds with prayers into the soil of the New World. . . .
In the eastern United States, which have a moist climate, the first crops raised by the early settlers were the wheats, oats and rye from England, France and other countries of similar climates. A hundred years passed and the first pioneers began to move westward, where they found the prairie dry and inhospitable to the plants of the moister East. Consequently, for a number of years, cattle breeding was the main occupation in the Great Plains. Agriculture did not develop until the Russian immigrant seeking his Ivanovka, his Molochnaya, his Crimea and Caucasus,—his own "life-zone,"—found also the life-zone of the plant-immigrants from the Russian steppes,—the drought-resisting varieties needed for the plains.
In the history of this plant immigration we have four stages:
The more prominent Russian wheats which have thus been introduced into the United States are Fife, first brought into Canada by private individuals as early as 1848 and later carried over into the States; Kubajika and Arnautka, the usual Durum wheats in South Dakota; and Turkey Red, also known as Crimean, Kharkov, or Malakhof, which is the variety best suited for territories subject to periodic drought.
Regarding the introduction of the latter, Mr. M. A. Carleton, an American authority on this subject, writes as follows:
Oats were also brought in from Russia. Kherson, one of the best-known varieties, is planted especially in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and southern Wisconsin.
The State of Iowa, through the efficient work of its Experiment Station, is now able to supply other States with this seed. Kherson oats are also known as Wisred and Sixty-day. Other Russian oats were brought later by the Call Agricultural Agency of St. Louis.
The Experiment Station at Madison, Wis., has marked this variety "White Russian". The "Swedish Select" variety, which constitutes 75 per cent of the oats of the State of Minnesota, was imported from Russia. Oats have also been brought from Siberia and are known under the names of Tobolsk, Tatartan, Siberian, etc.
An excellent illustration of the Russian contribution to United States agriculture was afforded last summer when a drought in several States bordering Wisconsin reduced the yield of all varieties of oats except those which had been brought over from Russia.
As a result of selection and hybridization, many Russian plants have undergone changes and have been improved to such an extent that they now present desirable varieties for re-importation into Russia. Many Russian staples, such as wheat, oats, alfalfa, etc., may find themselves in the position of the sunflower, that native of America which was imported into Russia a century or so ago and developed under the new conditions into an entirely different plant from its wild-weed ancestor (Helianthus annuus) of the North Western United States. After its Russian development it came back to America via Novorossisk, Odessa and the Baltic ports, and now flourishes in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Montana under the names of Russian Mammoth and Russian Giant.
The United States of America have found in Russia (because of similar climatic conditions) the plants necessary for their Northwest and the Great Plains. Let us hope that these regions will reciprocate. Among America's possible gifts to Russia may be counted the new variety of hard spring wheat known as "Marquis", not long ago emigrated from Canada, which was noticed on p. 29 of World Agriculture (Vol. I, No. 2). Besides Marquis, the Durum varieties, Kubanka and Arnautka, mentioned above, and a Canadian wheat, North Manitoba, are now being sent to Russia as seed for the famine regions.
Plants which may be introduced into South Russia include many varieties of sorghum, such as Early Amber Sugar Cane, Orange Sugar Cane, Sumac sorghum ("red top"), Gooseneck sorghum, and also the Black-hulled Kaffir corn, the Red Kaffir corn and the White Milo, although the last three, coming from a more southerly region, cannot be grown in the Ekaterinoslav Government, as the experiments of 1908 have shown, but may be utilized in other regions. Not all the plants enumerated above are of American origin, but at the present time the seed material can be taken only from that country.
At present, the culture of maize occupies 929,000 acres in the South of Russia, 857,000 acres in North Caucasus and about 910,000 acres in Transcaucasia, i. e., altogether approximately 2,700,000 acres, in contrast to the United States which grows Indian corn on about 105,000,000 acres. While there is no foundation for the expectation that the culture of maize in Russia will at any time compare with that of the United States, yet in the opinion of the foremost Russian agriculturists, it must and will become more widely distributed.
This is also a plea from Russia for help when they were struggling to feed all their people.
LOC Photo: Krasnodar (vicinity), USSR . Woman collective farmer with newly harvested wheat
Photo originally from National Council of American-Soviet Friendship, New York
RUSSIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO AGRICULTURE
IN AMERICA
IN AMERICA
AND AMERICA'S POSSIBLE GIFTS TO RUSSIA
By D. N. BORODIN,
Agricultural Explorer of the
RUSSIAN BUREAU OF APPLIED BOTANY
(What a wonderful professional title!)
RUSSIAN immigrants to America have contributed markedly to the development of agriculture in the United States. Up to the time of their appearance in the Great West, North America did not have any suitable grains and other agricultural products for that territory which has a smaller rainfall than the Eastern States.The dark grey mass of Russian immigrants walking down the gangplank to the pier after a long trip across the ocean carried unwieldy packs filled with all manner of things full of memories, and at the bottom of each of those sacks was sure to be found a bundle containing precious seeds of plants grown back home.
The Mennonite from Molochnaya and other colonies of Crimea and Ekaterinoslav Province brought with him Crimean, Turkey Red and Kharkov wheats and Kherson oats. The Molokans brought Sandomirka and Kustavka wheats. The natives of Kiev Province brought flax, sunflower, proso (millet) as well as wheat, and the seeds of watermelon and of Russian flowers. After much roving and much labor, the day at last arrived when the Russian immigrant farmer could apply his labor on his own land in a new country. And now the little bundles of seeds from home were carefully unknotted, and calloused, horny hands threw the Russian seeds with prayers into the soil of the New World. . . .
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| LOC Photos: Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection 1910 -In album: Views in the Ural Mountains |
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| Group of Siberian emigrants, c. 1910 |
(1) Importation of seeds by Russian immigrants to be used on soil similar to that of their homeland;
(2) this fact noted by American agriculturists and proper value placed upon the adaptability of Russian seeds to the Great Plains of the United States;
(3) special expeditions to Russia for seeds and plants undertaken by private individuals (as Bernard Warkentin) from among the immigrants, and by the American Agricultural Explorers: N. E. Hansen, M. A. Carleton, F. Meyer, H. L. Bolley and others;
(4) selection and hybridization of Russian varieties at American Experimental Stations which led to their improvement in different respects and their adaptation to local conditions.
The more prominent Russian wheats which have thus been introduced into the United States are Fife, first brought into Canada by private individuals as early as 1848 and later carried over into the States; Kubajika and Arnautka, the usual Durum wheats in South Dakota; and Turkey Red, also known as Crimean, Kharkov, or Malakhof, which is the variety best suited for territories subject to periodic drought.
Regarding the introduction of the latter, Mr. M. A. Carleton, an American authority on this subject, writes as follows:
"The first settlements in Kansas were made in 1873 near Norton, Halstead and Moundridge. Each family brought over a bushel or more of Crimean wheat for seed and from this seed was grown the first crop of Kansas hard winter wheat. . . Later on, several lots of Turkey Red or Crimean wheat were imported by the Department of Agriculture from the Molokhan district of Taurida."
Oats were also brought in from Russia. Kherson, one of the best-known varieties, is planted especially in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and southern Wisconsin.
The State of Iowa, through the efficient work of its Experiment Station, is now able to supply other States with this seed. Kherson oats are also known as Wisred and Sixty-day. Other Russian oats were brought later by the Call Agricultural Agency of St. Louis.
The Experiment Station at Madison, Wis., has marked this variety "White Russian". The "Swedish Select" variety, which constitutes 75 per cent of the oats of the State of Minnesota, was imported from Russia. Oats have also been brought from Siberia and are known under the names of Tobolsk, Tatartan, Siberian, etc.
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| LOC Photo of Montana oats |
An excellent illustration of the Russian contribution to United States agriculture was afforded last summer when a drought in several States bordering Wisconsin reduced the yield of all varieties of oats except those which had been brought over from Russia.
As a result of selection and hybridization, many Russian plants have undergone changes and have been improved to such an extent that they now present desirable varieties for re-importation into Russia. Many Russian staples, such as wheat, oats, alfalfa, etc., may find themselves in the position of the sunflower, that native of America which was imported into Russia a century or so ago and developed under the new conditions into an entirely different plant from its wild-weed ancestor (Helianthus annuus) of the North Western United States. After its Russian development it came back to America via Novorossisk, Odessa and the Baltic ports, and now flourishes in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Montana under the names of Russian Mammoth and Russian Giant.
The United States of America have found in Russia (because of similar climatic conditions) the plants necessary for their Northwest and the Great Plains. Let us hope that these regions will reciprocate. Among America's possible gifts to Russia may be counted the new variety of hard spring wheat known as "Marquis", not long ago emigrated from Canada, which was noticed on p. 29 of World Agriculture (Vol. I, No. 2). Besides Marquis, the Durum varieties, Kubanka and Arnautka, mentioned above, and a Canadian wheat, North Manitoba, are now being sent to Russia as seed for the famine regions.
Plants which may be introduced into South Russia include many varieties of sorghum, such as Early Amber Sugar Cane, Orange Sugar Cane, Sumac sorghum ("red top"), Gooseneck sorghum, and also the Black-hulled Kaffir corn, the Red Kaffir corn and the White Milo, although the last three, coming from a more southerly region, cannot be grown in the Ekaterinoslav Government, as the experiments of 1908 have shown, but may be utilized in other regions. Not all the plants enumerated above are of American origin, but at the present time the seed material can be taken only from that country.
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| Wendelin Grimm, of Grimm's Alfalfa |
A great many forage grasses, widely distributed in America, may also be utilized in Russia. Some time ago, Russia exported alfalfa seed to America in great quantities, but it is now necessary to re-introduce these seeds from America, in many instances improved by selection. Grimm, Cossack, Peruvian and Chilean alfalfa are desirable for Russia as are the Sudan grasses. The so-called sweet clover (Melilotus), of European origin, is being more and more widely distributed in America and likely to play a considerable part in Russia.
Soybeans are almost unknown there but experiments have proven the possibility of their culture. In the Caucasus, at an even more southerly point than where soybeans are grown, cowpeas will eventually be a successful plant. Peanuts may also have a wide distribution in Transcaucasia and in Turkestan. A great many varieties of potatoes and especially those selected for the short vegetation period of Alaska are very valuable for Russian Siberia.
Among native American plants which can be introduced into Russia, "Indian corn" (i. e. maize) must be given first place. The present distribution of maize is very limited in Russia compared to its distribution in America, where it is so widely cultivated and of such great economic value, in view of the enormity of nitrogenous substances it supplies on the farm. The fact that maize has always been raised in America has excluded the possibility of famine in that country.
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| Roasting Corn - Artist: Alfred Rudolph Waud, about 1860-1865 |
Even during the Civil War, when there was a great possibility of hunger, it is known that the North withstood all hardships, thanks to the presence of maize. Certain varieties of this valuable plant, now advancing slowly to the north, may and should be utilized for Russia. Maize may become the salvation of the Russian farmer from the unexpected reverses to which he is subject on account of his climate.
At present, the culture of maize occupies 929,000 acres in the South of Russia, 857,000 acres in North Caucasus and about 910,000 acres in Transcaucasia, i. e., altogether approximately 2,700,000 acres, in contrast to the United States which grows Indian corn on about 105,000,000 acres. While there is no foundation for the expectation that the culture of maize in Russia will at any time compare with that of the United States, yet in the opinion of the foremost Russian agriculturists, it must and will become more widely distributed.
Experiments in the culture of American corn in the South of Russia, especially in the Ekaterinoslav Government, made by the Russian agriculturist and agronomist, V. V. Talanov, who published his report in 1909, have shown its complete adaptability. The varieties which can be best used in the Russian "corn belt" belong to the earliest types of flint and dent corn now raised in North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, Alberta and parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The experiments in Russia have shown the admissibility of the following earlier varieties: Mercer-Dutton flint, Northwestern, Triumph, Longfellow, King Philip and North Dakota Golden. Medium ripening varieties may also be introduced into Russia, according to their life-zones.
A realization of the importance of extensive culture of maize in Russia has penetrated the
minds not of the agronoms only, but also of the persons who stand at the helm of the Government. During the last Congress at Moscow, (1922) in the speech of the Commissar of Agriculture, the necessity of introducing maize and other drought-resisting plants was largely dwelt on.
The well-known agriculturist, Mr. Joseph Rosen, who is connected with the American
Relief Administration, has pointed out in his report the necessity of increasing the area allotted for corn culture. The result of recognizing its importance has been the decision to use a part of the credits given by the Russian Government for the purchase of seeds in this country, to procure corn from the above enumerated Northwestern States.
At the present time these purchases are being made. There can be no doubt as to the gain to Russia. But it will be necessary to instruct the people in regard to the culture of maize in regions where it is not now grown. Properly introduced, this bids fair to be one of the most important of America's gifts to Russia.
In so short a report we find it impossible to enumerate all that America is in position to give to Russia, not alone in field crops but also in sympathetic assistance in the solution of her problems.
America can give enormous help in the line of agricultural implements, methods and education. As soon as the Chinese Wall between Russia and the other countries is eliminated, the very first shipments after food and seeds will be those of American machinery.
America can give enormous help in the line of agricultural implements, methods and education. As soon as the Chinese Wall between Russia and the other countries is eliminated, the very first shipments after food and seeds will be those of American machinery.
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| JSTORS has this full article |
Russia at the present time is greatly devastated by wars. She is in need of almost every commodity, for which she will be able to pay as soon as she comes into her own.
Help must be given and can be given adequately only by one country—the United States. We Russians are certain that America will not refuse to give this so much needed help.
| Russian sunflowers have a wide distribution in the United States. Their Importance may he seen from the fact that while maize gives a yield of six tons per acre, Russian sunflowers of the silage variety yield from twelve to thirty tons per acre. |
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