In the agrotown of Babrovo, there is a library-museum dedicated to the renowned researcher and breeder Jazep Maroz.

In the agrotown of Babrovo, there is a library-museum dedicated to the renowned researcher and breeder Jazep Maroz. This institution is located on the second floor of the local rural House of Culture and occupies three spacious rooms: one houses a museum dedicated to the fruitful inventive activities of Jazep Kandratavich, with numerous interesting exhibits; the second contains a large collection of books from the rural library; and the third is a cozy reading room where several dozen people can simultaneously familiarize themselves with new books and periodicals. The library-museum is headed by Tatsiana Sidartsova.

For the autumn Dziady (All Souls' Day), which was celebrated this year on Saturday, November 2, relatives of Jazep Maroz, who now live in Minsk, visited the library. These included the great-granddaughter of Jazep Kandratavich, Alena Dubrouskaya, along with her granddaughters, Polina and Alexandra. They listened with interest to Tatsiana Sidartsova's account of the library-museum's activities and new exhibits that have recently enriched the museum's collection. These close relatives of the famous researcher and breeder did not come empty-handed; they brought as gifts three white shirts adorned with hand embroidery, as well as a handmade linen runner and napkin. All these items are of ancient origin and once belonged to the grandson of Jazep Maroz, Uladzimir Maroz.

The museum exhibition features an old table, benches, and a bed, along with other peasant household items. It also displays farming equipment from past years: a plough, beekeeping tools, wicker baskets, bast shoes, and much more. This allows visitors to imagine the conditions under which Jazep Kandratavich conducted his plant breeding work, and how difficult it was for him, for example, to create his famous greenhouse in the village of Fatyn, where date palms, noble laurels, cypresses, and other plants, very exotic for our region and particularly heat-loving, grew and flourished.

To cultivate more resilient varieties suited to our natural conditions, with improved taste qualities and extended fruit storage capabilities for various fruit trees, berry, and other plants, the nursery of Yuzef Moroz cultivated over a hundred apple varieties, fifty pear varieties, fifteen plum varieties, five cherry varieties, ten currant varieties, eight gooseberry varieties, and others. Additionally, he conducted research on several strawberry varieties and developed one of them, which continuously blooms throughout the summer and yields berries until October (the so-called remontant strawberry of Moroz).

For his active participation in the agricultural exhibition held in Moscow in 1925, for high achievements in the development of horticulture and the advancement of farming culture, Yuzef Kondratavich was awarded two Certificates of Honour and prizes.

Mikolai Harbachou.