Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D.C. is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of. The U.S. National Arboretum includes a collection of flowering plants called azaleas, a field of native plants called ferns, and flowering trees in the dogwood tree area. Government scientists are in charge of the 183-hectare area. Their main goal is to strengthen the U.S. economy by making sure an important kind of agriculture, called the nursery industry, continues to perform well. “What we do is support the American nursery industry … which is really one of the largest forms of agriculture,” said Richard Olsen, director of the National Arboretum. He said that different kinds of agriculture industry like ornamental landscapes, horticulture, and turf, “… all of that occurs in every county, in every state of the union. So, it forms a large portion of American agriculture and therefore, an important part of the economy.” The most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, show that the ornamental and landscape plant industry creates $13.8 billion in sales each year. The garden was established by Congress in 1927. It plays a leading part in researching and developing plants like trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. Olsen called the arboretum a “science-based research facility and public garden.” He said the place has bred or released around 650-plus plants. They include more than 450 azaleas for landscaping, but also trees like maples, American elms, and hemlocks. The arboretum is home to one of the largest collections of preserved seeds in the world. The National Arboretum Herbarium houses around 700,000 example seeds. They include seeds from plants that the USDA considers as economically important. Scientists collect many genetically different seeds within a kind of plant from both native and non-native plants. The reason for collecting that data is to protect plants from harmful situations like climate change, changed environments, or other new and possible risks.
Title: Little-known Garden Supports US Nursery Industry
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/B3.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Little-known Garden Supports US Nursery Industry' data-article-id='6533'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='10917'>Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D.C. is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of.</span> <span data-start-time='10917' data-end-time='28125'>The U.S. National Arboretum includes a collection of flowering plants called azaleas, a field of native plants called ferns, and flowering trees in the dogwood tree area.</span> <span data-start-time='28125' data-end-time='35708'>Government scientists are in charge of the 183-hectare area. </span> <span data-start-time='35708' data-end-time='49938'>Their main goal is to strengthen the U.S. economy by making sure an important kind of agriculture, called the nursery industry, continues to perform well.</span> <span data-start-time='49938' data-end-time='65646'>“What we do is support the American nursery industry … which is really one of the largest forms of agriculture,” said Richard Olsen, director of the National Arboretum.</span> <span data-start-time='65646' data-end-time='81521'>He said that different kinds of agriculture industry like ornamental landscapes, horticulture, and turf, “… all of that occurs in every county, in every state of the union. </span> <span data-start-time='81521' data-end-time='91417'>So, it forms a large portion of American agriculture and therefore, an important part of the economy.”</span> <span data-start-time='91417' data-end-time='109604'>The most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, show that the ornamental and landscape plant industry creates $13.8 billion in sales each year.</span> <span data-start-time='109604' data-end-time='115354'>The garden was established by Congress in 1927. </span> <span data-start-time='115354' data-end-time='125958'>It plays a leading part in researching and developing plants like trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.</span> <span data-start-time='125958' data-end-time='133875'>Olsen called the arboretum a “science-based research facility and public garden.” </span> <span data-start-time='133875' data-end-time='140479'>He said the place has bred or released around 650-plus plants. </span> <span data-start-time='140479' data-end-time='152604'>They include more than 450 azaleas for landscaping, but also trees like maples, American elms, and hemlocks.</span> <span data-start-time='152604' data-end-time='160917'>The arboretum is home to one of the largest collections of preserved seeds in the world. </span> <span data-start-time='160917' data-end-time='169208'>The National Arboretum Herbarium houses around 700,000 example seeds. </span> <span data-start-time='169208' data-end-time='177667'>They include seeds from plants that the USDA considers as economically important.</span> <span data-start-time='177667' data-end-time='188542'>Scientists collect many genetically different seeds within a kind of plant from both native and non-native plants. </span> <span data-start-time='188542' data-end-time='203167'>The reason for collecting that data is to protect plants from harmful situations like climate change, changed environments, or other new and possible risks.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/B3.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=19570 data-hint-location='133875' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/he_said_the_place_has_bred_or_released_around_650plus__blank__.wav'>He said the place has bred or released around 650-plus <span class='blank'>plants</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='plants'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/pants.wav'><span>pants</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/dance.wav'><span>dance</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/plants.wav'><span>plants</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/chants.wav'><span>chants</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=19571 data-hint-location='160917' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/what_does_the_national_arboretum_have_roughly_700000_of.wav'>What does the national arboretum have roughly 700,000 of?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='seeds'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/seeds.wav'><span>seeds</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/weapons.wav'><span>weapons</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/gardeners.wav'><span>gardeners</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/armored_vehicles.wav'><span>armored vehicles</span></div></div></div><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=19572 data-hint-location='140479' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/what_does_the_term_landscaping_mean_in_the_context_of_the_article.wav'>What does the term "landscaping" mean in the context of the article?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='the act of modifying land for aesthetics'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/the_act_of_eating_vegetables_from_a_garden.wav'><span>the act of eating vegetables from a garden</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/the_act_of_purchasing_a_home.wav'><span>the act of purchasing a home</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/the_act_of_using_blades_fixed_to_shoes_to_move.wav'><span>the act of using blades fixed to shoes to move</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5926/the_act_of_modifying_land_for_aesthetics.wav'><span>the act of modifying land for aesthetics</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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