11 



high and fruited abundantly until they were pulled, November 28. On October 

 17, U bushels of fruit were taken up from the ground under the plants, and on 

 November 28 about 1 bushel more was secured, the total yield being at the rate 

 of 800 bushels per acre. 



Slender saltbush (-4. leptocarpa F. v. Muell. ).— One plat (9-A-lO) was planted 

 May 12 with California seed (S. P. I. 3926). On June 9 the plants were 1 inch 

 liigli, and on July :} they were 6 to 8 inches high and beginning to spread out on 

 the ground like the Australian saltbush, which this plant closely resembles. 

 Two more plats (9-A-8 and 9) were sown June 9 with seed of the same number 

 and made a similar growth, equaling those from the first seeding by the middle 

 of October, when all presented a dense mat of prostrate vines 3 feet or more in 

 length and fruiting abundantly. They remained unharmed by frosts until the 

 end of November, when they were taken up for seed. 



BURNET (Poterium sanguisorba L.). 



A plat (9-C-ll) was seeded on May 18, and on June 6 the first plants appeared. 

 On July 3 they were 3 to 5 inches high, but their growth was checked by the 

 heat and increased only 2 or 3 inches during the month. With the coming of 

 the September rains they began a vigorous growth, and soon the plants had a 

 diameter of about 2 feet and continued green and fresh until December 1. 



RAPE {Brassica napus L.). 



One plat (9-C-7) was sown May 16 with French seed (S. P. I. No. 1449), which 

 germinated very quickly and by June 6 gave a good stand of healthy plants 3 

 inches high. On July 3 they were 1 to 2 feet high, strong and vigorous, the 

 largest in flower. A second plat (9-A-14) started June 9, came up well, and 

 grew rapidly at first, but was badly burned by the hot weather of July, standing 

 only 6 to 10 inches high at the end of that month and making almost no growth 

 later. 



LEGUMES. 



More than 200 plats were devoted to the experiments with legumi- 

 nous plants, for the most part with seed obtained from abroad through 

 the Section of Seed and Plant Introduction. The remainder were 

 from the Division stock. 



ALFALFA {Medicago sativa L.). 



Fifteen different lots of alfalfa were sown. The seeds were grown in different 

 parts of the United States, in the Argentine Republic, in Italy, France, and 

 Bavaria, in Turkestan, Siberia, and China, and in Egypt. Some of them were 

 planted on May 14, some on May 24, and some as late as June 22. The ground 

 selected was on the highest and best-drained portion of field 9. All the seed 

 germinated well, and the young plants made a vigorous start, but in the last 

 days of June and during July they were badly burned by the intense heat. 

 Growth was completely checked for over a month, and the uppermost leaves 

 became yellowish and finally died. The comparative vitality of the plants in 

 the different plats could best be judged by the way in which they recovered from 

 their injury. 



Two plats (9-B-3 and 6) sown May 24 with Arizona seed seemed less vigorous 

 after the burning than did most of the others and were quite badly affected with 

 spot disease. Plat 9-C-14 was sown June 22 with Argentine seed (S. P. I. No. 

 3507), and plats 9-C-17 and 18 were seeded the same day with No. 3508. On 



