Remarks by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman Yoshino Cherry Tree
Presentation March 24, 1999
                                                               
                                                               
                                            Release No. 0125.99

Remarks
          As Prepared for Delivery
                               by
                                
            U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman
                Yoshino Cherry Tree Presentation
                         March 24, 1999
                                
     "Thank you all very much.  I want to acknowledge Dr. Floyd Horn, the
Administrator of our Agricultural Research Service and Tom Elias, the Director
of the National Arboretum.  Mr. Kobayashi, thank you for joining us and
representing your government here today.  

     "And, of course, my friend and colleague, Secretary Bruce Babbitt.  I
have the pleasure of working together with him on a number of issues affecting
our natural resources.  Whether it's forest fires, fish and wildlife
preservation, or cherry trees...I'm proud to say that our Departments have
built a strong and effective partnership that has made both an economic and an
ecological difference for the American people. 

     "In the coming weeks, visitors from around the nation and around the
world will flock to Washington for the extraordinary splendor that is the
annual cherry blossom season.  And we have our Japanese friends to thank for
this magnificent gift.  Cherry trees have been a part of Japanese landscapes
and culture for more than a thousand years.  In 1912, they shared this
tradition with us when the Mayor of Tokyo sent us over 3,000 cherry trees, to
be planted here at the Tidal Basin and at major sites around Washington.  And
they remain, to this day, not just a piece of springtime radiance and a major
tourist draw for this city...but also an enduring symbol of U.S.-Japanese
friendship.  

     "Like our friendship, the cherry tree exchange has involved give and
take on both sides. Twice in the last half century, when Japanese cherry trees
were destroyed or endangered, cuttings from the cherry trees here along the
Tidal Basin helped restore Japan's collection.

     "The Yoshino trees are more than an aesthetic delight.  They have a
practical application as well. 
 
     "By studying the Yoshino trees, our Department of Agriculture scientists
are able to enhance their research on U.S. ornamental cherry tree varieties. 
And that research, in turn, will help improve fruit cherry trees, which
represent a $324 million American industry.


     "Today, only 125 of the original 3,000 trees are still alive, and those
125 are living on borrowed time, having exceeded their life expectancy by
about 30 years.  We have to ensure that the cherry blossoms are here for
future generations to enjoy.  And we should do it not with ordinary nursery
stock, but with trees of the same genetic composition as those given to us by
Japan 87 years ago.  

     "So Margaret Pooler and Ruth Dix at the Arboretum have used their
scientific expertise to propagate the original trees and produce these 500
saplings.  And, just as many of our children have a stronger constitution than
we do, so too are these Yoshinos stronger and healthier than their parents,
which were grafted onto wild cherry root stock and therefore more vulnerable
to disease and pests.   

     "We have done our part here at USDA.  Now, it's my honor to turn these
trees over to the care of Secretary Babbitt and the National Park Service, so
that they can carry on the cherry blossom tradition that has enriched
Washington for nearly a century."

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