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| Gregory Yokohama squash - USDA ARS NAL "Special Collections" |
Thomas
Jefferson wrote that "the greatest service which can be rendered any
country is to add an useful plant to it's culture...."[1] He
could hardly imagine the unintended consequence and impact that the
introduction of non indigenous species has had on the ecosystems and economies
of the United States. The spread of invasive species alters ecosystem services
and threaten rare and endangered species; second only to land development
practices in their destructive impact. It is easy, therefore, to condemn the
actions of past generations who worked hard to find new and novel species to
enhance the quality of life of their fellow citizens.
Jefferson
noted that the United States were "probably far from possessing, as yet,
all the articles of culture [crops] for which nature has fitted our country. To
find out these, will require an abundance of unsuccessful experiments. But if,
in a multitude of these, we make one or two useful acquisitions, it repays our
trouble."[2]
Those whom have had to fight kudzu or tamarisk might take umbrage and even be
outraged at the idea that the introduced species that did not find merit were
paid for.
The US
Department o Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) was established in part
to foster Jefferson's idea that "[t]he introduction of new cultures
[crops], and especially of objects [plants] of leading importance to our
comfort, is certainly worthy the attention of every government, and nothing
short of the actual experiment should discourage an essay of which an hope can
be entertained."[3]
Because
of the significant harm of a few intentionally or accidentally introduced plants,
certain stakeholders have taken a dim view to non-native plants and to those
who introduced them to the United States. This tendency to lump all exotic
plants into one basket is based on part on a limited view of history and the
role of the men who introduced important non-native species such as wheat and
vegetables. Only 150 years ago, men such as Thomas Hogg, Jr. and James J. H.
Gregory worked to better the produce of our farms and gardens sure in the knowledge
that they were contributing to the betterment of the country and its people.
An 1866 article
in The Cultivator & Country Gentleman
provides an example of a then recent introduction of a new winter squash from
Japan.
" THE YOKOHAMA SQUASH Eds Co
Gent The past summer we raised Yokohama Squash and it has given such good
satisfaction both as a table squash and for pies that think its merits need
only to be known in order it may be appreciated The vines of this new visitor from
Japan slowly till some time in July when they spread rapidly on every side
taking root at almost every joint and throwing out numerous side branches so
that when planted eight feet apart the entire ground is occupied by the dark
green leaves while the numerous peculiar looking squashes are thickly hidden
beneath them I find that they yielded with us the past season from 20 to 30
squashes to the square rod averaging four or five pounds each They are very
heavy in proportion to their size the seeds being small and contained in a very
small cavity The flesh is very dry sweet fine grained and of a rich orange
color When cooked they make the best substitute for sweet potatoes of anything
I know of and for pies I think them equal to any other squash They ripened here
in Connecticut the past season but required the entire season in order to
mature before frost The keep very well but 1 think not quite as well as Hubbard
The stems of the Yokohama where they join the squash are nearly square a
peculiarity never saw in any other squash I have no seeds spare as they are
already disposed of G. F. P. Milford, Conn Feb 7 1866."[4]
William Woys Weaver (2005) describes the squash as a "oddly
shaped squash that resembled large chunks of hardened lava. Gray-black,
other-worldly, yet hauntingly beautiful, this unique heirloom vegetable from
Japan, the ‘Yokohama’ squash, was a visual study in the Japanese affection for
serenity through form and texture. [The Yokohama squash has] one of the most
complex flavors I have run across in any squash or pumpkin I have grown.
Everyone’s taste buds are different, but I detect hints of Asian pear, mango,
avocado, lemon balsam, and if you have experience with tropical fruits, the
unmistakable aroma of sapote. Can this be a squash? It is even a great boon to
gardeners because it is highly resistant to borers and powdery mildew."[5]
Who were
Hogg and Gregory? Thomas Hogg, Jr. was born in London, February 6, 1820, coming
to the United States with his father, Thomas Hogg, Sr. and his brother James
when he was 9 months old. His father was a successful nurseryman and florist in
New York City. He and his brother took over the business when their father diedin
I855. A staunch liberal, progressive Republican, Thomas Hogg, Jr. was appointed
U. S. Marshall in 1862 by President Lincoln, who also founded USDA and sent to
Japan for eight years. He would return thereafter for two more years at a posting
in the Custom House. He spent much time in travelling around the Japanese Islands
studying their flora since his official position afforded him unusual
facilities for exploration and collection of novel and interesting plant
species and cultivars. He made a large collection of Japanese trees, shrubs and
herbaceous plants "among those which proved to be adapted to our climate,
are many of the choicest Japanese plants which ornament our gardens to-day,
which he was the first to introduce."[6]
James
Hogg grew the seeds sent from Japan by his brother reporting the "outcome
in an 1864 issue of The Magazine of
Horticulture. Hogg named the variety "Yokohama" and said it was
superior to the Hubbard types which were at the time the standard in American
gardens."[7]
James Hogg sent seeds of the Yokohama
squash to the noted Massachusetts plantsman, James John Howard Gregory. Mr.
Gregory advertised the new squash in 1865 in Marblehead.[8]
I was delighted
to find an original copy of the handbill advertising the Yokohama squash while
compiling an inventory of pre-1870 nursery catalogs in the Special Collection
of the U. S. National
Agricultural Library. (USDA ARS NAL)
[1] Thomas Jefferson Memorandum of Services to My
Country, after 2 September 1800 PTJ, 32:124. Polygraph copy at the Library of
Congress.
[2] Letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Drayton
(1786). Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/initiative/jefferson.shtml
[3] Letter from Thomas Jefferson to M. Lasteyrie (1808) Thomas
Jefferson Agricultural Institute. http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/initiative/jefferson.shtml-
(In other words, test the new crop before assuming it has nothing to offer.)
[5] Weaver.
2005. Yokohama Squash. Online. Accessed July 14, 2013. http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/yokohama-squash.aspx#axzz2Z2JTu6GK
[6] Morong,
T. (1893). Thomas Hogg. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 20(5),
217–218. doi:10.2307/2477496
Author's npte: Kudzu, which he sent to Thomas Meehan,
noted nuseryman in Philadelphia in 1876, not withstanding...
[7] Baker
Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Online. Accessed July 14, 2013. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=165630743551869&id=155935376162
[8] Shari Kelley Worrell & Norma Lovett Gregory
Kelley Flude. A Timeline of his life. Online. Accessed July 14, 2013. http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/
Mr.
Gregory purchased the rights to the "best white potato" for $150 from
Luther Burbank. Mr. Gregory introduced a
new potato that he shared with Luther Burbank calling it "Burbank".
