142 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



as follows: Kanred hard red winter wheat in Kansas; Iowa No. 

 404 hard red winter wheat in Iowa ; Early Baart hard white wdieat 

 in Arizona and California. Seed from inspected fields is being 

 eagerly sought in the States where grown. 



Marquis, the leading hard red spring wheat, is now more widely 

 grown than all other varieties combined. In 1914 it comprised only 

 4 per cent of the total spring-wheat crop in the principal States 

 of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. In 1917 

 it had increased to about 45 per cent, while in 1918 the proportion 

 of Marquis in the total acreage of spring wheat in those States 

 probably reached 65 to 70 per cent. 



SEED POTATOES. 



In the pursuance of a definite plan for seed-potato improvement, 

 this bureau has taken initial steps to secure ancl develop high-grade 

 seed potatoes which it is proposed to make available in small quanti- 

 ties to those desiring to start with a good strain. The method of 

 procedure adopted was to secure the best strains of some of the lead- 

 ing commercial varieties in Minnesota and Wisconsin and to as- 

 semble and plant them at Grand Rapids, Minn., and Rhinelander, 

 Wis. In the East an attempt was made to secure strains of high- 

 grade seed stock from New York, Vermont, and Maine growers. 

 These strains are being grown near Presque Isle, Me, Frequent 

 inspections of the plats are to be made during the growing season, 

 and all varietal mixtures and weak or diseased plants are to be re- 

 moved. 



SEED OF RHODE ISLAND BENT-GRASS. 



Efforts are being made to reestablish the Rhode Island bent-grass 

 seed industry in New England. It appears that the saving of Rhode 

 Island bent seed has been almost entirely neglected in this country. 

 The seed which has been on the market under this name was either 

 imported from southern Germany or else was redtop, but since 

 methods of identifying the bulk seed of Rhode Island bent and 

 redtop have been devised it has been possible to put a stop to this 

 fraudulent practice of misbranding seed. It is intended to continue 

 the investigations and to test various seed-harvesting machines. 



SEED STOCKS COMMITTEE. 



A committee on seed stocks has been organized to deal with exist- 

 ing emergencies due to inadequate supplies. As a result of the in- 

 vestigations by this committee it has been possible to bring about a 

 better distribution of the seed supplies of the country by acting as a 

 clearing house for information on supplies of and needs for seed. 

 In cooperation with the United States Food Administration Grain 

 Corporation the committee inspected large numbers of samples of 

 seed wheat and in so doing assisted very materially in providing 

 adequate supplies of spring-wheat seed for 1919. The committee also 

 assisted in this connection by recommending to the Grain Corpora- 

 tion a plan whereby seed wheat could be held at points tributary to 

 needy sections, with a view to supplying deficiencies in supplies of 

 seed wheat for spring sowing. This resulted in the distribution by 



