REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 121 



SPECIAL WORK ON FORAGE CROPS. 



A great many valuable introductions have been made through cor- 

 respondence and in ways other than through explorers. This is the 

 case with forage crops for nearly all parts of the country. Sudan 

 grass, a wild form of sorghum, although introduced only four years 

 ago, is now greatly in demand in the southern portion of the Great 

 Plains region on account of its ability to produce an abundance of 

 good forage under conditions of low rainfall. 



In Florida and the immediate Gulf coast region a good hay grass 

 has long been a desideratum. Rhodes grass, secured from Africa, 

 promises practically to solve the hay question for that portion of 

 the South. 



Renewed interest has been awakened in the soy bean by the estab- 

 lishment in general use of new varieties secured from China and 

 Japan. These varieties have proved far superior to those originally 

 grown. Likewise, new and improved varieties of cowpeas have been 

 introduced and developed, thereby extending materially the useful- 

 ness of this very important crop. The origination of improved va- 

 rieties of timothy by selection and breeding has opened up great pos- 

 sibilities along the line of improving the most important grass-hay 

 crop for the United States. 



Much attention has been given to the extension of alfalfa, and 

 our efforts have met with marked success. At the present time this 

 valuable forage crop is becoming a staple in many sections of the 

 Eastern States and promises to increase rapidly in importance during 

 the next few years. 



During the past year marked advance has been made in the work 

 with the hardy and drought-resistant alfalfas introduced from Eu- 

 rope and Asia. The crossing of the A^ellow-flowered form with the 

 common species has resulted in some very promising hybrids adapted 

 to use both as hay and for grazing in the Great Plains region. The 

 value of the new alfalfa for hybridizing can scarcely be overesti- 

 mated. 



The increasing difficulty of obtaining and maintaining profitable 

 stands of red clover has long been a matter of serious concern in 

 many parts of the clover belt. Investigations started last season 

 are already indicating the solution of this problem. Efforts to de- 

 velop methods of handling the clover-seed crop in order to make it 

 more certain are meeting with success. 



Rhodes grass and Sudan grass have this season even surpassed 

 expectations. Extensive seedings of both of these grasses have been 

 made, so that there is now abundant evidence of their value under 

 field conditions. 



