by Heather Apple

Historic sites with heritage gardens can play an important role in preserving heirloom varieties of plants which might otherwise become extinct. Not long ago, a visitor might wander through an historic site and admire buildings, furniture and costumes authentic to the time period, and then step outside into a garden planted with twentieth century hybrid vegetables, flowers and fruits.

Upper Canada Village at Morrisburg, Ontario has played a pioneering role in Canada in growing plant material – especially vegetables – authentic to the geographic location and time period represented by the site. When Harry Pietersma came to the Village in 1977, he started a research, collection and seed saving program which continues today.

Local and regional resources were researched to discover what varieties might have been grown. Then the search began for any of those varieties still in existence today. Those that were tracked down were grown out to ensure that they conformed to the descriptions given to them in old seed catalogues and gardening books.

Because many of these heirlooms were not available from a commercial source, the Village had to start its own seed saving program. This is not just an important preservation project; it also provides an interesting educational experience for visitors.

The Grist Mill at Keremeos, B.C. is another example of a site which is doing important preservation work. This restored mill is growing twelve varieties of heirloom wheats such as Ladoga, Hard Red Calcutta, Marquis, Red Bob and Einkorn. They have selected Red Fife as their major wheat and over several years have increased their original half pound of seed to sixty pounds. Eventually, there will be enough of this heirloom variety to grind in the historic mill.

The Grist Mill has been involved in another exciting preservation project. The development of a series of historic gardens at the site prompted an extensive search for seeds of the Zucca melon, an important commercial crop in the southern Okanagan and Similkameen valleys from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. The colorless, tasteless rind of this huge bottle gourd was used to make candied peel for Christmas cakes.

Requests to former growers in B.C. and California and to plant gene banks in North America and England met with failure. Finally, Sharon Rempel discovered that Glenn Swenson, a member of the American Gourd Society, had been growing the Zucca in his Illinois backyard for 30 years. Mr. Swenson happily sent some seed to the Grist Mill and the Zucca returned to B.C.

The seed was carefully sown and the young Zuccas nurtured. A large plant at the Grist Mill produced ten Zukes weighing in at a total of 590 pounds. The largest was 96 pounds and 42 inches long. This great event prompted the first Zucca Reunion, now an annual celebration featuring old stories and home movies of the Zucca and a giant Zucca chocolate cake with Zucca-green icing.

Upper Canada Village and the Grist Mill at Keremeos are only two of the historic sites across Canada which are preserving heirloom varieties in heritage gardens. A phone call to your local Tourist Information Centre will provide you with details about sites near you. Do phone ahead to the site, however, because not all have historic gardens. Those that do grow heirloom varieties play an important role in preserving our wonderful plant heritage and provide enjoyment and inspiration to their many visitors.

GENETIC ENGINEERING UPDATE

In response to the biotechnology articles in the last issue of COGNITION, many members wrote and called to say that they knew nothing about the genetic engineering of plants and only the more dramatic aspects of transgenic animals, such as the Onco-mouse. This is not unexpected as the Department of Agriculture has not publicized much information on the subject.

COG has long been uneasy about biotechnology. (See "Genetic Engineering in Agriculture: the ethical issues" by Robin and Barbara Guard in the July 1990 issue of COGNITION.) As one member put it, "the whole concept is scary, the public does need to know. Caution is advisable and the more the facts are publicized, the better."

Betty Auslander, co-editor of the quarterly publication of the Allergy and Environmental Health Association, has asked permission reprint our articles.

USA: The Clinton administration has decided to slow the pace of biotech-nology deregulation by retaining limits on agricultural research and reviewing federal policy on the sale of genetically engineered plants, thus reversing Bush plans to speed the commercialization of genetically engineered products. A revised rule regarding biotech research on six crops – corn, cotton, potatoes, tomatoes, soybeans and tobacco – permitted researchers or companies to carry out field tests (once Agriculture Department criteria were met) only after 30 days' notice, to allow states and the federal government to decide whether additional reviews or inspections were necessary. The Bush plan would have allowed notice to be given as late as the day the trials started. The Clinton plan does not allow approval of other crops by university review boards but stays with the Agriculture Department.

The amended regulations appear-ed in the Federal Register to become effective April 28, 1993. Public pressure had mounted to slow the pace of proceeding with genetically engineered organisms and the change may reflect the views of Vice President Al Gore, a noted environmentalist.

The Biotechnology Working Group has released a handbook entitled In our Backyard: state action to govern the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment, a common sense guide for citizens and policy makers. It is available for $5 US from BWG, c/o Minnesota Food Association, 2395 University Ave., Rm 309, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114.

Canada: With funding assistance provided by the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund and the Canadian Institute of Biotechnology, a new bi-monthly periodical has surfaced: The AgBiotech Bulletin, published by AgWest Biotech Inc. of Saskatoon.

Its first issue (Jan/Feb, 1993) predicts that agrobiotech in North America will grow by 45% during the 1990s. Much of the research is already five years underway in the province of Saskatchewan's labs, fields and corporations. Six hundred scientists and technicians are working on projects in Saskatoon. Fifteen agbiotech companies employ 150 people in Saskatchewan, many with strong international connections.

Regulatory principles will be clarified in amendments to the federal PCP, Seeds, Feeds and Fertilizer Acts expected this June. Bill McKnight, the Minister of Agriculture at the time, was quoted as stating: "By summer, published clear guidelines for application of field trials of genetically engineered crop plants and revised guidelines for microbes should be available."

The periodical lists some of the biotech companies (such as Plant Genetic Systems, Canada and Belgium; Hoechst; Biostar; Monsanto) and their current projects and notes that the USA has opened its doors for Canadian small business to raise mon-ey in the American capital market.

The periodical can be obtained from AgWest Biotech Inc., 222-111 Research Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2. Also available from the same source is The Agtech Infosource, a bulletin for schools. Funding was provided by the Canadian Institute of Biotechnology; its first issue was April, 1993.

Transgenic Research Centre: Funded by the National Science and Engineering Research Council ($1.5 million) and by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Food ($200,000.), a trans-genic research centre has recently opened at the University of Guelph, directly beside the crop science building.

Research will occur in a greenhouse with individually controlled rooms that duplicate extreme weather conditions and prevent pollen from the experimental plants from escaping to the outside. Tightly sealed screened rooms are set aside for self-pollinating plants, for those pollinated by insects and for plants like corn and cereal crops which produce wind-dispersed pollen. Air will be supplied through special pollen filters.

Computers will monitor outdoor and indoor conditions, enabling adjustments to the greenhouses' heating, shading and ventilation systems. The search is on for plant strains that can tolerate drought, cold and disease while producing a high-quality, harvestable crop. Currently, alfalfa, canola and soybeans are being looked at. Successful cultivars will go for further testing to the Elora Research Station, where there are approximately 31 genetically-altered cultivars undergoing various stages of testing.

Four techniques are being used for genetic alteration:
1) putting dry embryos into a gene-filled liquid solution;
2) combining genes from two cells into one and growing it out into a plant;
3) firing a bullet-like object with genes attached into a cell; and
4) loading genes into a bacterium which can invade cells.

The Guelph facility is thought of as a halfway house between lab and field.