120 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The introduced Chinese jujube has proved adapted to Texas and 

 other portions of the Southwest, and a new dry-land fruit tree, com- 

 parable in a measure to the prune, has been added to our horticulture 

 for semiarid regions. 



The Chinese persimmon varieties have proved quite as well 

 adapted to conditions in America as the Japanese varieties and are 

 showing certain advantages over them. They have added a distinct 

 new type of fruit to our fruit culture. 



The cork-oak acorns, which were early introduced, have grown 

 into large trees and have demonstrated the possibility of gi-owing 

 American cork. 



EXPLORATIONS UNDER WAY. 



During the past year an agricultural explorer was sent through the 

 steppe regions of western Siberia, south of Omsk, to make a detailed 

 study of the behavior of the yellow-flowered, hardy alfalfa on the 

 cattle ranches there, and he made contracts with the peasants for all 

 the possible seed for special experimental tests of this plant in the 

 Northwest. He imported the Siberian bush cherry, which he believes 

 will become important for the extreme northern tier of States, and 

 the Siberian larch, which is the fastest-growing conifer of that 

 region, together with several hundred dry-land grains, forage crops, 

 and fruit-tree varieties. 



As a result of a survey of the East Indian cattle-raising country, 

 which the forage-crop expert of the department was sent to make, 

 some promising Indian forage grasses were secured, which may prove 

 valuable for the Southern States. An investigation of the Egyptian 

 date region resulted in the introduction of new varieties of date 

 palms for the experimental plantings in the Salton Basin. 



A special effort has been made to secure plants from the dry and 

 cold regions of central Asia, including the little-lmown Chinese 

 Turkestan. This exploration work has been continued actively the 

 past year. As a result of the establishment of a new plant station 

 in North Dakota, at Mandan, it has been found necessary to look 

 further for crops that may be brought in, established, and tested at 

 the station, with a view to using them for breeding purposes and 

 distribution throughout the entire Northwest to help the farmers of 

 that region. 



Numerous types of dry-land poplars and other trees suitable for 

 wood, windbreaks, etc., have been located. Valuable shipping 

 varieties of table grapes, hardy wild apples and apricots, and a num- 

 ber of wild forage legumes from the Siberian steppes have been 

 located and are now being secured in quantities for distribution and 

 testing in the years to come. 



