88 DEPAETMENTAL EEPORTS. 



meetings afifords excellent opportunities for bringing the practical 

 work ot" the grass and forage-plant investigations closely before the 

 people whom they are designed most to benefit, and wherever it could 

 he done without too much interference with the regular work these 

 requests have been complied with. Daring the past year five addresses 

 in as many States have been delivered by the Agrostologist and other 

 members of the regular staff of the Division. 



CURRENT WORK. 

 GARDEN, FIELD, AND HERBARIUM. 



During the current fiscal year it is planned to continue the work 

 alread}" under way in the grass garden, pajing especial attention to 

 the habits of growth and life historj^ of our more valuable native 

 grasses and of recentlj^ introduced sorts, the selection and develop- 

 ment of hard}' varieties of our native species as well as of those from 

 foreign lands. 



The field work is being greath" extended for the purpose of collecting 

 seeds and roots of valuable grasses and forage plants iu accordance 

 with the provisions of the appropriation bill, whereby i!6,000 was set 

 aside for this purpose. Three members of the oihce force, including 

 the Agrostologist, and two special agents are working in Coloi-ado, 

 Utah, and Wyoming. Two special agents have been sent to western 

 Montana and northern Idaho. Our special agent on the Pacific coast 

 is visiting portions of Washington and Oregon, paying special atten- 

 tion to grasses suitable for range improvement and for sand and soil 

 binding. Later in the season a special agent will be sent to Arizona 

 and the Southwest to carrj^ on the work in that section. The Agros- 

 tologist has already visited the Middle and New England States, and 

 another member of the office force has visited the Carolinas for the 

 purpose of reading a paper before the farmers' institute at Clemson, 

 S. C, and making investigations along the coastal plains of these 

 States. The Agrostologist will also visit a number of the Western 

 stations and investigate the sand-dune region of the Great Lakes. 



The work in the herbarium will continue along the usual lines. 



EXTENSION OF COOPERATIVE INVESTIGATIONS. 



As a result of extended correspondence and much personal consul- 

 tation between members of the Division staff and authorities of the 

 State experiment stations, it is planned to extend very materially the 

 cooperative experimental work of the Division. The suggestions of 

 this Division regarding possible lines of cooperation with the State 

 institutions have met with most heartj' support on the part of the sta- 

 tion authorities, and there is consequentl}" great encouragement for 

 the extension of this work. It is thought that the uniting of the funds 

 and facilities of the Division with those of the State institution for the 

 investigation of some question of paramount importance in a given 

 State will result in much more practical benefit to the people than if 

 the investigations were carried on separatel}", and also that the work 

 can be done much more economically. 



In these cooperative investigations arrangements have already been 

 made with one or more of the State institutions, most advantageousl}' 

 located for the purpose, for the study of each of the following ques- 



