REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. XXXIX 



Southern experiment stations, while with others the stud}' of forage 

 crops and their rehition to the improvement of the fertility of the soil, 

 another question of importance in this section, will be undertaken. 

 Similar investigations are being planned for the New England States. 

 The study of selected varieties of grass and forage crops is a question 

 of genera] importance throughout the country, and investigations are 

 being carried on in cooperation with the Division of Vegetable Phj^si- 

 ology and Pathology and with' such of the State experiment stations 

 as are prepared to undertake the work. 



During the past three years there have been distributed through the 

 Division of Agrostology seeds of 250 varieties of grasses and forage 

 plants, nearly all of which had never before been cultivated; 5,000 

 packages were sent to volunteer experimenters on farms and ranches, 

 3,000 to State experiment stations, and over 1,100 to stations in foreign 

 countries. Reports from the volunteer experimenters to whom this 

 seed was sent were published in Bulletin No. 22 of the Division, As 

 a result of the extensive distribution of the seed of Turkestan alfalfa 

 through this Division and through the Section of Seed and Plant 

 Introduction, Division of Botany, much useful information concerning 

 this crop has been secured and was presented in Circular No. 25 of this 

 Division. 



These cooperative investigations form the most important part of 

 the work of the Division, and Congress, at its last session, by a clause 

 in the appropriation bill, made it imperative that this work be carried 

 on in cooperation with the State experiment stations. With a view to 

 carr3'ing out this work in accordance with the law, nearly all the State 

 experiment stations were visited by the officers of the Division and 

 arrangements made for carrying on cooperative experiments. The 

 work has been carefully and effectively organized, and articles of 

 cooperation have been signed by the directors of ten of the agricultural 

 experiment stations jointh^ with the Agrostologist, and approved by 

 me. The plans proposed have met with the most cordial reception on 

 the part of the station authorities, and it is alread}" manifest that this 

 work of the Department, thus carried on through the experiment sta- 

 tions, will have greater efficiency and assure more definite results of 

 greater value to the farmers and stock raisers of the country than was 

 possible by the methods previous}}^ employed. The individual and 

 volunteer experimenter, moreover, can accomplish much through sug- 

 gestions and aid furnished by the Division, and can carry the work into 

 sections which can not be reached in any other way; the intelligent 

 farmer or ranchman who is willing to devote land and labor to the 

 propagation of new grasses and forage plants furnished ])v the Division 

 is a valuable factor in developing the work of the Department and 

 carrying it directly before the people. 



