70 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



purpose of discussing the results of special observations on seven 

 cargoes of export corn aggregating more than one and one-half mil- 

 lion bushels. This invitation met with a most cordial response, and 

 the 29 delegates present took an active part in discussing the results 

 of these investigations, with a view of improving the quality and 

 conditions of American export grain. 



SEED-TESTING liABORATORIES. 



On account of the provision for seed testing made by State laws 

 in North Carolina and Nebraska, cooperation with these States has 

 been discontinued, and two new laboratories are being opened in 

 connection with the agricultural experiment stations in California 

 and Louisiana, the laboratories in Missouri, Oregon, and Indiana 

 being continued. 



Hairy-vetch seed, which has this year for the first time been col- 

 lected for examination for adulterants, was frequently found to 

 contain seed of cultivated varieties of spring vetch, the latter gen- 

 erally being useless for fall sowing on account of winterkilling. An 

 examination of the hairy-vetch seed-gi*owing section of northern 

 Germany and northwestern Russia shows that on account of the 

 difference in time of ripening it is impossible to harvest seed of cul- 

 tivated forms of spring vetch and hairy vetch together, the former 

 being used as an adulterant. The Vicia villosa seed originating in 

 the Baltic Provinces occurs as a volunteer in winter rye and is sepa- 

 rated as cleanings from the rye. 



PROGRESS IN CORN INVESTIGATIONS. 



Requests for information concerning the corn crop, received by 

 the department, were much greater in number and variety than dur- 

 ing any previous year. In cooperation with interested farmers in 

 many of the principal corn-growing States work is in progress 

 which has as its object the development of higher yielding strains 

 of corn. In connection with this work demonstrations are made 

 of methods of breeding, methods of seed selection and preservation, 

 methods of planting and cultivating, as well as tests of soil prepara- 

 tion and tests of cover crops. This cooperative work with indi- 

 vidual farmers has resulted in the development of a number of 

 higher yielding strains of corn and in stimulating throughout the 

 localities an interest in better methods and higher acre yields. In 

 a number of instances this work has resulted in a very noticeable 

 increase in the production of corn per acre throughout the com- 

 munity. 



There is perhaps no other crop capable of giving so profitable a 

 return from both investigation and demonstration work. The past 



