194 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



I'hc work of packetin<:;, assemblinrj, and mailinp: the vegetable and 

 floAvor seed was done by a private contrai tor at a cost of $2.10 a 

 thousand packets, includin<>: the furnishing; of the packets and en- 

 velopes. 



NEW AND R.ARE FIELD-SEED DISTRIBUTION. 



A distribution of new and rare field seeds was made throuffhout 

 the entire United States, havin<2^ for its object the dissemination of 

 seed of new and rare field crops, seed of improved strains of staple 

 crops, and hitjh-grade seed of crops new to sections where the data 

 of the dejiartment indicate such crops to be of considerable promise. 

 Each i)ucka<;e contained a sufficient quantity of seed for a satisfac- 

 tory field trial, and the recipient was uroed to use the seed, if feasi- 

 ble, for the production of stocks for future plantings. A report card 

 and a circular giving full directions for the culture of the crop ac- 

 companied each package of seed. 



Only seed of new crops or of improved strains of standard crops 

 were distributed, as follows: Dakota grown, Grimm, Kansas grown, 

 and Peruvian alfalfas; Great Northern field beans; white SAveet 

 clover; Brabham, catjang, and Earl}'^ Buff varieties of cowpeas; Spur 

 feterita; Bangalia, Chang, Gregory, Kaiser, and Paragon field peas; 

 Merker grass, Napier grass. Natal grass, orchard grass, and Rhodes 

 grass; Dwarf Blackhull kafir; Kursk millet; Dwarf Yellow milo; 

 Dakota Amber, Red Amber, and Sumac sorghums; Biloxi, Black 

 Ej^ebrow, Easy Cook, Plaberhmdt, Hahto, Ito San, Laredo, Mam- 

 moth Yellow, Manchu, Mandarin, Peking, Tokio, Virginia, Wilson, 

 and Wilson Five varieties of soy beans; Sudan grass; Bush. Georgia, 

 and Osceola varieties of velvet beans; and Acala, Columbia, Dixie, 

 Durango, Holdon. Lone Star, Meade, and Trice varieties of cotton. 



During the year 128,848 packages of new and rare forage-crop seed 

 and 97,977 i:)ackages of cotton seed, or a total of 226,825 packages 

 were distributed. 



The Napier and Merker grasses, seed of which was distributed by 

 the department for the first time in the past year, give promise of be- 

 ing exceedingly valuable for hay and silage in regions where the tem- 

 perature docs not fall below 20° F. Reports indicate that Sjjur feterita, 

 seed of Avhich was distributed for the first time in 1919, is proving its 

 superiority over common feterita for grain production in large areas 

 in the southern part of the Great Plains icgion. The Great Northern 

 field l^ean, seed of which was distributed for the first time in 1919, 

 is giving promise of being another crop adapted to large areas of 

 dry-farming territory in the northern part of the Great Plains 

 region. Largely through the medium of this distribution, the Bush 

 velvet bean has been disseminated throughout the velvet-bean grow- 

 ing section of the South and is being thoroughly tested, especially 

 as an orchard-cover and green-manure crop. Tliis velvet bean gives 

 promise of being a valuable variety, although whetlier it is satisfac- 

 tory as a field crop can not be definitely determined at this early date. 



Among the accomplishments in connection with this seed distribu- 

 tion may be specifically mentioned the putting into general use of 

 Sudan grass throughout a large part of the eastern half of the United 

 States, and especially in establishing it as an annual pasture grass 

 in the southern half of the Great Plains region. This distribution 



