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Paul Evans Library of Fruit Science
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Fruit Experiment Station Archives |
The following document is from the Fruit Experiment Station Archives, Box xx. The manuscripts was typewritten. Values stricken through was the work of the author, and information in brackets was hand written above the typed text.Near the end of the 19th century most of the fruit produced in the state was grown in South Missouri. At that time it was difficult to travel from the Ozarks to the northern part of the state. There were no railroads running north and south except those running to Kansas City and St. Louis, which are in the extreme east and west edges of the state; and the highways were very poor, often impassible. Consequently, there was little travel between the north and the south. Although our State University and Agricultural Experiment Station was located at Columbia, very few students came from the southern part of the state, and little extension work came from the University to South Missouri. The state was more or less definitely divided by the Missouri River.
Consequently, the establishment of a Fruit Experiment Station in south Missouri was a normal and necessary procedure according to most of the fruit growers in the state at that time.
When the law establishing the Station was passed that was quite a scramble among the towns of South Missouri for the station location. West Plains and Springfield both presented many reasons why the station should be located near their towns. When the citizens of Mountain Grove (Wright County), which is about half way between West Plains and Springfield, offered to donate a 190-acre farm to the state, they won the legislative assembly vote.
The Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station as a separate state institution was established when the legislative act was signed by the Governor on April 27, 1899. The Honorable Lon Vest Stephens was governor at that time. The Station Board of Trustees was appointed by the Governor shortly after. The members were N. T. Davis, Aurora; J. C. Kerby, West Plains; and L. O. Hailey, Ava, MO. The Board appointed, on Dec. 11, 1899, Prof. J. T. Stinson as Manager and Inspector. Prof. Stinson is still alive and in good health. He recently retired as Director of Agricultural Development for the Missouri Pacific, and lives in St. Louis.
Since the beginning the Station has had its ups and downs. At times the legislative appropriation was ample, and at other times insufficient. The highest appropriation given the Station for a two-year period was $68,000 $75,000; the lowest, during the depression, $12,000. Sometimes after an appropriation was made and the biennium half over, the Governor would hold up the use of $7,000 or $8,000 and possibly never release it. The Station minutes have several accounts of loans being made to the Station by business men in Mountain Grove. Sometimes notes, signed by the Trustees, were given the bank as collateral. The payroll in 1900 is interesting; the rate of pay was very low as indicated by the following items:
| Jake Hicks | 1 month | $20.00 |
| John Stevens | 3 days @ $1.00 | $3.00 |
| D. R. Roberts | 89 hours @ $.10 | $8.90 |
The Station comprises 190 acres of land, of which about 120 acres are now in fruit. The principal buildings now on the place are administration building, which houses the offices, library and laboratory; greenhouse; cold storage and packing building; screened field house; barn, shop, spray chemicals building; Director's residence, and five other employee's residencies.
Since the first board was appointed, the following Missourians have served on that Board: C. B. McAfee, Springfield; T. M. Culver, Joseph Knoerle, West Plains; W. C. Paynter, Koshkonong; Col. J. L. Torrey, Fruitville; Charles Haskins; J. W. Tippin, Springfield; Frank E. Scotten, Bolivar; S. C. Hoover, Marshfield; Paul Evans, West Plains; W. T. Flournoy, Marionville; Dr. E. L. Beal, Republic; J. A. Chase, Mountain Grove; Geo. H. Sewall, Carthage; C. N. Crotsenburg, Carthage; J. C. Ellston, Execter; Edwin J. Stark, Louisiana; H. A. Gardner, Monett; R. M. Hitt, Koshkonong; Dr. Clye W. Cleveland, Brookfield; Frank D. Connett, Faucett; Henry C. Kinyon, Koshkonong; J. Ed. May, Jr., Gray Summit.
Since the appointment of the first Station director, Prof. Stinson, who served from 1899 to 1903, there have been appointed the following Directors: Paul Evans of West Plains, MO, 1903 to 1918; F. W. Faurot, St. Joseph, MO, 1918 to 1934; and Paul H. Shepard of Independence, MO, 1934 to the present time. The present Board members are President Edwin J. Stark, J. Ed. May, Jr., and Henry C. Kinyon. The Station staff has in times of sufficient appropriation included an entomologist, pathologist, and a number of one extension man.
The station was established to carry on experiments with fruit, so that the fruit growers in the state could profit by the results. This work included variety collections of all fruits that grew in this climate. The station has grown and tested approximately 720 names varieties of apples, 560 varieties of peaches, 470 grapes, 210 plums, 85 pears, 58 cherries, and a great many bush fruit and strawberry varieties. Other experiments on pruning, spraying for control of insects and diseases, fertilizing, cultivating, mulching, the use of new implements, etc. were carried on. Hundreds of publications, consisting of bulletins, circulars, newsletters and leaflets, have been printed and distributed free to those wishing them. Ever since the start of the Station a considerable amount of fruit breeding has been done. There have been originated, named, and introduced seven eight new apple varieties, Conard, Faurot, Fyan, Wright, Grove, Whetstone [Fonagram] and Delcon; seven new peaches, Missouri, Tulip, Osage, Loring, Ozark, Poppy, and Romance; ten new plums, Bluebell, Bluefre, Radiance, Bonnie, Twilite, Brilliant, Marvel, Ox-Heart, Ozark Premier, and Redbud; and twelve new grapes, Beaver, Piney, Roubidoux, Bryant, St. Francis, Bokay, Eleven Point, Gasconade, North Fork, Blue Eye, and Ozark Prize [One crab Kent and one raspberry Somo] There are several more that probably will be introduced within the next year or two few years. Those in South Missouri will recognize many of the names, as they were taken from rivers, streams, and towns in the Ozarks. Some of the names do not suit the nurserymen, as they do no sound as appealing as they would like. They are not interested in the nearby Whetstone Valley, where once a small battle was fought. Some such name as Flaming Delicious would probably sell more trees than the name Whetstone. All station introductions are turned over to nurserymen for propagation and sale, without any patent rights or strings attached.
To thoroughly test the promising new varieties requires many year's work. Not more than 1 in 5000 is introduced and named. It is rare that enough can be learned from the fruit on the first and only tree of a certain promising cross. A second generation of several trees produced from the wood of the original tree must be planted and raised to bearing age. At the time it is decided to make a second test, many young trees are grown for distribution. From three to five are sent to many other state experiment stations, usually to every fruit district in the United States where it is thought that fruit might grow successfully. Years later, as the second generation trees begin to bear at the Station they also begin to bear in other states. After receiving reports from outside, and after closely observing the Station's own trees, it is decided whether to name and introduce, or to discard the new variety. Our station reciprocates by testing new promising varieties originating at other state experiment stations.
In our breeding work many new varieties are obtained, which are just as good as their parents or other standard varieties; however, they must be better in order to be saved. New varieties now must meet special needs that were not even thought of a few decades ago. There are varieties for gas storage, for freezing, for conserving, for drying, for a local roadside stand, or to be shipped to a market 2000 miles away, and for the north or south.
Because of the adaptability of the Ozarks to grapes, probably more crossing has been done with that fruit than the others. The breeding work now is toward producing a large black or red seedless grape that will grow in the Midwest. The Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station has gained national recognition for outstanding work in fruit breeding. Back in 1913 the Station was awarded the Wilder Medal for some outstanding apple breeding work at that time. This American Pomological Society award is considered the greatest honor that can be conferred on a horticulturist, in America. Eight gold medals, two silver, two bronze, and a medal of honor were awarded to Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station for prize-winning apples displayed at the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915.
In 1936 the Station represented the State of Missouri with a display of fruit at the International Horticultural Exposition in Chicago, Ill.
In 1953 the American Pomological Society award the Station [presents] Director [Paul H. Shepard] the Wilder Medal for outstanding work in the breeding of new peach, plum, and grape varieties.
Eights years ago the Station, cooperating with the Agricultural Extension Department of the University of Missouri, prevailed upon the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, a division of Sears-Roebuck, to help establish the production of Catawba grapes in the Ozarks. For any previous years, the Station had been trying to convince the American Wine Co., in St. Louis, that the Ozarks could raise just as good (or better) Catawba grapes for champaign as those purchased in New York and Ohio. When the company was finally convinced, and agreed to buy Ozark Catawba grapes, the Sears-Roebuck Foundation agreed to furnish the vines for planting, the wire for trellising, and the 55-ton press for pressing, free of charge, to a limited number of farmers selected by the Horticultural Extension Department and the Fruit Station. This was done, and 18 farmers in four counties started 5-acre vineyards on their farms. All farmers operated primarily dairy, poultry, or general-farming farms, the grape project being a new cash crop which could be carried on with other farming operations.
In spite of dry seasons the grape vines have developed and produced annual crops the past five years. The average production is about three tons to the acre, and average price about $125 per ton. As the Sears Foundation insisted that the press be located on the Experiment Station grounds, the grapes after harvesting are brought to the Station for pressing. The juice is pumped in tank trucks and sent as sweet grape juice to St. Louis. The project has been successful. The company purchasing the juice has been pleased with their product. Catawba juice usually averages about 19% sugar in New York and Ohio. The last two seasons the Missouri juice ranged from 22% to 26% sugar. The juice from the 1954 season was sent from Missouri to California in refrigerated cars, at the request of the St. Louis company. It was a very complimentary jesture to Missouri grapes. The growers have been satisfied, primarily because grapes are a natural for the Ozarks; they withstand dry weather, are adaptable to the soil and long season of the Ozark Plateaus, and bring good cash returns. An increased acreage is now coming into bearing.
Approximately 70% of the inquiries regarding fruit growing that come to the Experiment Station are from home orchardists, the man with a fruit planting large enough only to meet his own needs. So many home plantings fail that it seemed proper the station make an extra effort to find out why, and to spend some extra time in an attempt to help such growers. A sample half-acre home orchard was planted at the Station eight years ago. All costs, and value of products grown, were recorded. The planted was cared for as nearly as possible as a home orchardist would, using tools that are available on most farms and a hand-operated barrel pump for spraying. There are several outstanding reason why the average farmer, or suburbanite, fails. They are: Wrong varieties planted, too large a planting, lack of care, especially when other farm work needs to be done, the difficulty in obtaining the proper spray materials at a reasonable cost, and reluctance to mix and properly apply poisons.
New bulletins and circulars were published on the care of home orchards and spray schedules. Several experiment stations banded together to formulate a single mixture of materials in one package that could be used through the whole growing season on all fruits, with success. Such a General Purpose Spray was thoroughly tested at the Station. It is being manufactured by the Ohio and Indiana Farm Bureau. There are several dealers in Missouri handling that spray material at this time.
The sample orchard at the station took seven years to pull the investment out of the red. Although crops, mostly of berries and grapes, have been obtained since the second year of planting, it took years for the trees to produce a sufficient income to pay for the nursery stock, labor and material costs over the seven years. The financial record from now on should be better; however, the satisfaction of producing one's own tree-ripened fruit cannot always be measured in dollars and cents.
The Fruit Experiment Station works in close cooperation with the Horticultural Department of the University of Missouri. If there is available a part of the orchard that the University would like to use for experimental purposes, that orchard, as well as equipment and labor, is made available to them. For example, this past season the University wished to do some experimental spraying with antibiotics, for the control of fire blight on pears, and the pear orchard at the Fruit Station was used for that work.
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Paul H. Shepard, Director Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station Mountain Grove, Missouri |
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