BUKEAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 461 



proved tobacco seed; 17,213 packages of lawn grass and Bermuda 

 grass seed; 2,840 pounds of sugar-beet seed; 12,018 boxes of imported 

 narcissus and tulip bulbs; 25,000 grapevines, including 27 varieties; 

 91,500 strawberry plants, including 15 varieties; 2,874 hybrid citrange 

 trees; and limited quantities of alfalfa, clover, vetch, cowpeas, soy 

 beans, and sorghum. All of this seed was purchased on competitive 

 bids; approximately 30 per cent of it was from surplus stocks, the 

 remainder being grown under contract for the department. Before 

 acceptance by the department each lot of seed was thoroughly tested 

 one or more times for viability, seed grown under contract was in- 

 spected in the field, and a sample of each lot of seed was grown on 

 the trial grounds of the department to determine its trueness to type. 

 Hundreds of reports from all sections of the country indicate that 

 the seed was of high quality and very satisfactory. 



As in former years, the vegetable and flower seed was packeted, 

 assembled, and mailed by a contractor, the price this year being 

 $1.09^ per 1,000 packets, which included hauling to the city post 

 office or direct to the mail cars at the Union Station. The contract for 

 1912 was awarded to a company that used a new form of automatic 

 seed-packeting machine, which, after being adjusted, did the work 

 very satisfactorily. The distribution of veiretable and flower seeds 

 began November 29, 1911, and ended April 19, 1912. 



Improved varieties of sugar-beet seed were tested in comparison 

 with American-grown seed at cooperative stations in the beet-growing 

 sections. Very little seed was grown in the United States during the 

 crop season of 1911, but the partial failure of the seed crop in Europe, 

 the great advance in prices, and the difficulty experienced by the 

 sugar factories in obtaining a sufficient quantity of seed will un- 

 doubtedly encourage the growing of this important seed crop in this 

 country. 



The work of propagating Dutch bulbs at the garden near Belling- 

 ham. Wash., made satisfactory progress during the past year. From 

 five to eight years are required for the hj^acinth bulbs to mature. 

 When they reach flowering size and complete data are available re- 

 garding their cultivation and treatment the department will feel 

 justified in issuing a formal bulletin on the growing of these bulbs in 

 this country. Tulip and narcissus bulbs mature much sooner than 

 hyacinths. Some of the mature bulbs of these varieties which wore 

 propagated at Bellingham and in Virginia were tested on the trial 

 grounds of the department in comparison with bulbs imported from 

 Holland. In every instance the American-grown bulbs gave strongej- 

 plants, larger and better flowers, and were a week to 10 days earlier 

 than imported bull)s of the same varieties. If similar results con- 

 tinue, it is believed that as soon as the facts are known the demand for 

 American-grown bulbs will increase greatly, and the bulbs will com- 

 mand a higher price and a readier sale than the cheap grades of for- 

 eign-gi*own bulbs which are imported in large quantities annually. 



It is planned to continue the congressional distribution of seeds 

 and plants in 1913 and 1914 along the same general lines as formerly, 

 except that an attempt will be made to obtain pure seed stocks of 

 selected strains of standard or improved varieties to be propagated 

 and grown under contract for the distribution. A chango is also 

 contemplated in the manner of distributing cotton seed. Instead of 



