VARIETIES. 13 



land on which cattle and horses were tethered and grazing in a luxuri- 

 ant growth of berseem which two years before was as Warren of vege- 

 tation as a bathing beach. (PI. II. tie;. 3.) The amount of nitrogen 



stored in the soil by the root8 of this plant must have been considera- 

 ble, for cotton was grown on it the third or fourth year. 



Nothing could be more striking than the contrast between the roots 

 of some alfalfa which I examined at several places in Egypt and those 

 of this Egyptian clover. (PI. X.) In the former the roots of both 

 young and old plants were conspicuous for their freedom from 

 tubercles, only an occasional almost microscopic one being observable, 

 while the latter were often little less than a mass of these nitrogen- 

 bearing bodies. (PI. VIII. tigs. 1 and -J: PI. IX. figs. 1 and 2.) It IS 

 probable that the bacterium of the alfalfa nodule lias not been intro- 

 duced into Egypt and that it is distinct from the germ of the berseem 

 tubercle. Possibly former trials with berseem in America have not 

 succeeded well for a similar reason. It is expected that experiments 

 which have been already started will solve this problem. 



Too much stress can hardly be laid upon the necessity of a thorough 

 study of the soiling value of this Egyptian clover, for its application 

 to irrigated orchard lands in California and Texas may prove of the 

 greatest importance. The Colorado Desert region, with its abundance 

 of water, mild climate, rich soil, and other conditions for irrigation, 

 seems an ideal place for the trial of this Egyptian culture, and if the 

 rotation of crops can be adapted to its employment it should prove a 

 great success. If Egyptian cotton can be made to succeed in this 

 region, as is now hoped, this soiling crop will be of great value for a 

 winter culture. 



In the dry. irrigated regions of northern Africa, in Tunis and Algiers, 

 this plant has already begun to attract the serious attention of the 

 French experimenters. Mr. Gagey. of the Tunis Agricultural College, 

 has tried it and is very enthusiastic over its quick growth and large 

 production of green fodder. He was planning to secure seed for 

 planting on a large scale. During the year in which the berseem was 

 grown at the college in Tunis the thermometer sunk to nearly 2° 

 below freezing, but the plant was not injured in the least. In the 

 remarkable trial gardens of Dr. Trabut at Rouiba, in Algiers, the 

 nelds of berseem were among his most promising experiments, and a 

 temperature of 9° below freezing (23° F.) did not injure them. 



VARIETIES. 



There are three distinct varieties of berseem known in Egypt" and 

 their characters must be understood if one wishes to make a success of 

 their introduction. 



« Boissier gives Trifolium alexandrinum var. phleoides Boiss. as a variety occurring in 

 Kilsali, near Smyrna, but says nothing as to whether it is in cultivation or not. 



