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Re: No Tomatoes in 1998?

Please tell me this was an April fools joke.

On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, Robert Beer wrote:

> USDA TO BAN CERTAIN PLANTS PROVEN TO BE VIRUS VECTORS
> 
> People who like to grow their own tomatoes and peppers had better enjoy
> them this year, because next year, the seed may not be available on the
> racks.  This is the latest strategy in the long running attempt by
> Department of Agriculture scientists to eradicate, or at least control,
> certain new plant viruses that cause enormous economic losses each year to
> commercial factory farms across the country.
> 
> Last year alone, the most troublesome of the viruses, tomato wilt virus,
> caused nearly one third of the tomato crop in California to produce at a
> level dramatically below average, and unless drastic measures are taken,
> the farming corporations will not be able to survive.  The virus can
> remain active in the soil for several years, so crop rotation is
> insufficient to destroy it.  The current method is to sterilize the soil
> with a deep steam treatment, which though effective, is expensive, as it
> needs to be repeated due to repeated re-infections from home gardeners
> crops.  Home gardeners typically do not have the money or resources to
> perform soil sterilization on such a scale, and many are reluctant to do
> so because of concerns about soil ecology.  Therefore the only course is
> to keep host plants from being planted so that the virus can die out on
> its own.  This process takes from five to ten years.
> 
> The bans will affect all the solanaceous crops; that is, plants in the
> nightshade family.  This includes tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillos, peppers,
> and eggplant.  Several more obscure food plants will also be affected by
> the ban, including "garden huckleberry," and goldenberry, also known as
> ground cherry.  Ornamentals would also be affected, such as Datura and
> Brugmansia, Morning Glory (Ipomea and Convolvulus species).  A full list
> of forbidden species will be issued later this year.
> 
> The ban is sure to elicit widespread outrage from gardeners around the
> country, being decried as draconian.  There is also serious doubt on the
> part of many horticulturists/agricultural scientists as to the
> effectiveness of the measure, especially as Canada and Mexico are unlikely
> to consider such a ban.  Chief USDA Phytosanitation officer Melvin
> Dremper, however, is optimistic that the ban will do some good.  "There
> will be some resistance," said Dremper, "and thats understandable; but I
> believe in the long run gardeners will appreciate the result.  It should
> take only about ten years to eradicate the virus, and when this is done,
> they wont have to be concerned with it any more.  As for Canada and
> Mexico; Im fairly confident that they will follow suit when they see the
> positive results in the U.S."
> 
> Those concerned about the culinary effects of the ban neednt worry;
> commercially-grown tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant will remain on the
> market as the commercial farms will raise them in sterilized soil.
> Dremper noted that "...there are so many other good food plants available,
> and we will encourage people to grow them instead.  Parsley, for example,
> is an under-used vegetable."
> 
> There is concern that many people will ignore the rulings and plant
> tomatoes using saved seed or left-over seed from past years.  Because of
> this, the U.S.D.A. has received several million in federal funding to
> train dogs to recognize the odor of tomato plants.  Dremper commented,
> "Tomato plants have such a powerful and distinctive smell, that the dogs
> are able to recognize and locate plants at nearly half a miles distance.
> Those who are considering growing the banned plants should keep this in
> mind. Indeed they should; the fine for possession of home-grown
> solanaceous plants will be $500 per plant, which should deter even the
> most dyed-in-the-wool vegetable gardener.  
> 
> 
> 
>
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