BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 433 



In planning for future work, it is proposed to modify the definite 

 grazing experiments at Blacksburg. Va., to include the testing of 

 commercial fertilizers in combination with cultural treatment of 

 pastures and to duplicate the original experiments for the purpose 

 of having a definite check on the results obtained. The facilities for 

 developing and testing improved strains of timothy at New London, 

 Ohio, are inadequate for the needs of the problem as it develops, 

 and it is planned to lease an additional tract of land especially for 

 increasing the stock of improved strains, the present station to be 

 used for selection work and row testing. A study of cultural meth- 

 ods in connection with the growing of Khodes-grass and Sudan grass 

 will be conducted in the South, and eflPorts will be made to have seed 

 of these grasses available in every section where they are promising. 



CowPEAs. — The testing of newly bred and introduced cowpoas is 

 being continued on a large scale. Several of these new kinds promise 

 to be superior to standard varieties. One of especial promise named 

 Early Buff is not only very prolific but much earlier than any va- 

 riety yet tested — a matter of importance, as it will encourage the 

 growing of seed farther north than at present. 



Vetches. — In the last five years the culture of hairy vetch has 

 increased greatly, and the price of seed has been advanced to nearly 

 a prohibitive figure. As seed has been grown successfully in many 

 States, there is no good reason why a domestic supply should not be 

 produced in sufficient quantity. 



Several newly introduced specie? have shown high promise in 

 comparison with hairy and common vetches (among them purple 

 vetch and woolly-podded vetch) and the Tangier^ pea. Experiments 

 conducted in western Oregon during the past three years show that 

 seed of all of these species can be produced about as cheaply as 

 common vetch. 



Sorghums. — Investigations of the sorghum crop are being conducted 

 mainly at Chillicothe, Tex., and Akron, Colo. Among the varieties 

 recently introduced Feterita and White Amber have proved in three 

 years' trial to be worthy of general introduction. Both are very early 

 varieties and can be matured throughout most of the dry-land area. 



Soy beans. — Interest in soy beans both for forage and for oil pro- 

 duction continues to increase. In connection with the intensive inves- 

 tigations into the culture and improvement of this crop the oil con- 

 tent of each variety is being determined. On account of the interest 

 in the crop in the States where the standard vai'ieties will not ma- 

 ture especial attention is being directed to the earliest varieties, 

 including many from Manchuria. 



Velvet beans. — About 25 species and varieties of velvet beans have 

 been imported from various places in southern Asia and are being 

 carefully studied and tested in comparison with the Plorida velvet 

 bean at Biloxi, Miss., and elsewhere. Two of the most valuable are 

 the Yokohama bean from Japan and the Chinese velvet bean, espe- 

 cially as they are much earlier and more prolific than the other sorts. 



Plans for flti re work. — The lines of work with all of the above- 

 mentioned forage crops will be continued as vigorously as resources 



70481°— AGE 1912 28 



