DIVISION OF BOTANY. 93 



tribution, which in the interest of systematizing the introduction 

 work it is necessary to maintain in a manner suitable for precise and 

 permanent consultation, have been simplified to a considerable extent — 

 just so far, indeed, as simplification is comjjatible with the primary 

 purpose of the records. The accumulation of work on hand in the 

 early part of the year made it necessary to emplo}' labor additional 

 to the regular force. This extra work has now been completed and 

 the office force has again been reduced to its normal size. The prin- 

 cipal cause of the accumulation of work was the very large number 

 of importations made in preceding jears. It has now been shown by 

 experience that to secure the best results the energies of the explorers 

 and field agents should be directed to the securiug of fewer importa- 

 tions with more complete information regarding them, rather than to 

 a large number of importations with necessarily scantier information. 



At the request of the Chemist of the Department the purchase and 

 distribution of sugar-beet and sorghum seeds, heretofore carried on 

 by the Division of Chemistry, has been turned over to the Division of 

 Botany, and is conducted along with the plant-introduction and dis- 

 tribution work. This is undoubtedly an economy, as the facilities 

 for handling large quantities of seeds are not now duplicated, as they 

 were under the old system. The amount of these seeds jiurchased is 

 still determined by the Secretary on the recommendation of the 

 Chemist. The seeds are sent to lists of experimenters furnished by 

 the Chemist, and the working up of results is still carried on by him 

 as forme rl}^ 



It became clear during the preceding years that some of the most 

 valuable plants for introduction into the United States were in the 

 hands of foreign botanical gardens which did not sell seeds or plants, 

 but which were willing to make exchanges for them. The DejDart- 

 ment had at that time no available exchange material, but during the 

 past year such material has been collected, particularl}^ in the arid 

 regioii of the Southwest, and while no full catalogue has as yet been 

 published, photographs, accompanied by accounts of the more inter- 

 esting plants, were put in the hands of the foreign agents of the 

 Dei)artment, and some very valuable exchanges were in this way 

 secured. The results of this year's exchange work indicate that this 

 is an important means of securing valuable introductions. 



One of the dei3artures contemiDlated when the plant-introduction 

 work was inaugurated was the redistribution of importations which 

 proved to be successful. In accordance Avith this idea the Khiva 

 winter muskmelon from Turkestan, which proved to be so successful 

 under irrigation in the warmer i3ortions of the arid AVest, was redis- 

 tributed last vear. And similarly, it was determined that Turkestan 

 alfalfa, which has proved far superior to American alfalfa in withstand- 

 ing freezing in the arid regions, should be more widely d istributed. With 

 this view, contracts were made last spring with several Western groAvers, 

 and when this American-grown stock shall have been delivered it will 

 be distributed far more extensively than was possible with the original 

 importation. The Kiushu rice, which has proved so remarkably suc- 

 cessful in Louisiana, was redistributed last spring. The distributions 

 already made, together with direct importations of this rice by private 

 I^arties during the past season, has established this product so widely 

 and successfully that it Avill doubtless be unnecessary for the Depart- 

 ment to distribute it further. 



In the introduction of cereals si^ecial attention has been paid during 

 tlie past year to macaroni and Hungarian wheats. The European 



