XL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



FIELD WORK, 



The field work of the Division has been conducted during- the past 

 season as heretofore, but particular attention has been devoted to col- 

 lecting seeds, roots, and specimens of valuable native grasses and 

 forage plants, as especially provided for by the last session of Con- 

 gress. This work has been carried on in Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, 

 Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, Michigan, Idaho, Minnesota, Maine, 

 the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Several tons of seed have been 

 gathered in this wa}^, which will be distributed to the diflferent State 

 experiment stations for further seed production and experimental cul- 

 tivation. In cooperation with an official of the State experiment 

 station of California, explorations have been made in the northern 

 part of that State, and a report has been i>i-epared for publication on 

 the forage resources of northern California as a result of these field 

 investigations. Aside from the collection of seeds, attention was 

 directed in these field investigations to the stud}^ of the native grasses 

 and their suitability for use in range improvement, investigations of 

 drought-resistant forage plants, sand and soil binders, forage crops 

 suitable for the reclamation of worn-out lands and winter pasturage, 

 and grasses adapted for use in the making of lawns or grassing of 

 pleasure grounds. 



GRASS GARDENS. 



The grass garden on the Department grounds, which contains nearlj^ 

 500 varieties of grasses, has been continued and has afforded many 

 valuable lessons relative to these plants. An important feature of the 

 garden has been the testing of various saltbushes and legumes and also 

 the different varieties of grasses used for lawns. The space allotted 

 to this work on the Department grounds has been so limited that the 

 area devoted to any individual species was very small. To remedy this 

 and give opportunit}^ for more extended cultivation, especially for the 

 large and coarse-growing annuals, an area of land on what is known 

 as the Potomac Flats was set aside for the work, and here it has been 

 carried on very successfully during the past season. The results 

 obtained here with some of the native grasses and legumes from the 

 Southwest have been remarkable, and the possibilities of successful 

 culture of many foreign species has been demonstrated. 



DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS AND SPECIMENS. 



Seeds of some 200 varieties of grasses in 3,000 packages have been 

 distributed, chieflj^ to experiment stations and correspondents in the 

 United States. Nearly 5,000 herbarium specimens of grasses and a 

 large number of sample sheaves for exhibition purposes have been 

 distributed during the year. 



