150 ANNUAL REPORTS OP DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Cactus. — During the past year work on yields of six or seven 

 varieties of prickly pear in southern Texas has been completed. 

 Three hardy, smooth forms, secured by selection during past years, 

 have fruited and crosses have been made with them and the tender, 

 rapid-growing spineless forms. 



Flax. — Breeding and selection of flax varieties started two years 

 ago at Mandan, N. Dak., and Moccasin, Mont., have progressed to the 

 point where many promising strains are being increased for field 

 trial. Second-generation hybrids of promise are being studied both 

 with regard to superior new strains and for further information in 

 heredity. The best yielding strains now being grown in variety 

 trials are being selected for uniformity to type, and additional new 

 importations have been secured and are being tested together with 

 varieties previously secured. 



AGRONOMIC INVESTIGATIONS. 



Irrigation pasture. — At Huntley, Mont., special attention has 

 been given to crops needed in live-stock industries. It has been 

 shown that here a well-established pasture of mixed grasses and 

 clovers may carry at least two cows per acre for five months, and 

 that with alfalfa pasture supplemented by a proper grain ration 

 the production of pork should become a profitable industry. Investi- 

 gations have been extended in the direction of determining the best 

 seed mixtures to use for grass pastures and the best methods of 

 establishing and handling them. 



Citrus-fruit improvement. — The work which has been carried on 

 with citrus fruits has conclusively demonstrated that under the soil 

 and environmental conditions existing in the citrus sections of Cali- 

 fornia, within the recognized varieties of both oranges and lemons 

 grown in the region, a number of trees which are unprofitable are 

 to be found. These trees occupy as much space and require as much 

 attention as those which produce profitable croi:)s. The existence of 

 such trees in a plantation led to an investigation to determine if it is 

 possible to work out a plan by which such unprofitable trees can be 

 eliminated, the idea being to avoid the planting of such trees, or 

 when such trees are discovered in a plantation to top-work them. 



Dry-land agriculture investigations. — The agricultural develop- 

 ment of the Great Plains lying between the 98th meridian and the 

 eastern foothills of the Eocky Mountains presents one of the greatest 

 agricultural problems of this country. Owing to the fact that these 

 plains consist mainly of fertile land, capable of producing large and 

 profitable crops of most of the staple crops during seasons of suf- 

 ficient rainfall, but that these favorable climatic conditions can not 

 be depended upon, this region has been the scene of unremitting 

 agricultural effort for a period of nearly forty years. These efforts 

 have involved enormous losses in the shape of broken fortunes, de- 

 serted farms, and ruined homes. Probably nowhere else on the 

 North American continent has there been so large a number of people 

 hopelessly ruined by agricultural efforts as in this region. It would 

 seem that this enormous loss ought to have been compensated for, 

 in a measure at least, by the accumulated experience of these pioneer 

 farmers, but this fund of accumulated experience is woefully meager. 



