XXXII REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



promise of almost incalculable benefits to American agriculture. Of 

 the varieties introduced in the past four years, many have proven 

 commerciall}'^ successful and many others show favorable indications 

 so far as they have been tried. The newl}^ introduced seeds and plants 

 are distributed for testing purposes mainly to the State experiment 

 stations and to a small number of private experimenters. No general 

 distribution is attempted until the value of the new varieties is estab- 

 lished. Among the most valuable importations made, the following 

 may be mentioned: 



SOME VALUABLE IMPORTATIONS. 



Cereals. — Russian and Hungarian wheats, superior in yield, milling 

 qualities, and resistance to rust, have been introduced and tested; also 

 white wheats from Australia, Europe, and the Orient to replace the 

 white wheat of California, which has shown a tendency to deteriorate. 

 The so-called macaroni wheats from southern Europe are succeeding 

 so well in the Great Plains as to warrant the establishment of the 

 macaroni-manufacturing industry. Valuable new varieties of oats, 

 rye, barley, and buckwheat have also been introduced. 



Grasses and forage plants. — The smooth brome grass {Bromus 

 inermis) from Hungary has proven an extremely valuable pasture 

 grass, and is already quite widely distributed throughout the Middle 

 West. Turkestan alfalfa has proven superior in hardiness and drought 

 resistance, and is therefore an especially valuable addition to the 

 leguminous crops which can be grown in our seraiarid regions. Supe- 

 rior varieties of soy beans have been brought from Japan, and sev- 

 eral other forage plants of lesser importance have proven desirable 

 acquisitions. 



Vegetables. — In this class ma}^ be mentioned some ver}^ fine varie- 

 ties of muskmelon from Russia which have succeeded in Colorado and 

 other Rocky Mountain States, squashes from Italy, a new radish from 

 Japan, the silver-ribbed chard, a superior variety of eggplant, and a 

 French variety of edible-podded peas. 



Figs and dates. — The Smyrna fig industry, the introduction of 

 which had been so often attempted without success, now appears to be 

 established in California. The securing for Arizona of date trees true 

 to name is another valuable accomplishment which will be slower in 

 reaching results, but the next generation will count this one of the 

 greatest agencies for the development of the warmer portions of the 

 arid Southwest. 



Rice. — While the rice industry of the South, and especially of 

 Louisiana and Texas, has grown rapidly in recent years, the introduc- 

 tion of the Kiushu rice from Japan was necessary to lift it to a position 

 among the great cereal crops of the country. Of this rice, Dr. S. A. 



