78 DEPARTMENTAL KEl'OKTS. 



HERBARIUM. 



A complete collection of species of grasses and forage plants is 

 indispensable to the work of this oflBce. Specimens are received 

 almost daily for identification, and these specimens are frequently in 

 such condition that the}' can be identified only by comparison with 

 herbarium material. The time of one assistant lias been very fully 

 occupied with this work during the past year. The present quarters 

 in which the herbarium is kept are wholly inadequate for the pur- 

 pose, and it is hoped that more room can be made available for the 

 collection during the coming year. 



CURRENT VrORK. 



During the current year work is in progress as follows : 



Seeds of several valuable native grasses are being collected, part of 

 which will be used in our own investigations and part distributed 

 to the State experiment stations and to selected experimenters in 

 various places. These seeds belong to the following classes: 



Soil and sand binders. 



Grasses for overflowed lands. 



Hay and pasture plants for arid, semiarid, and alkaline soils. 



Hay and pasture grasses for the Southern States. 



Alfalfa. — We are growing several new varieties for study of habits 

 and characters. We are working in cooperation with experiment 

 stations and many farmers, attempting to introduce alfalfa into the 

 Eastern States. Reports already received show undoubted success 

 in this work. 



Sand and soil binding. — We are making experimental plantations 

 at Astoria, Oregon, at several places in Illinois and adjacent States, 

 and on Cape Henry, Maryland. We are exploring and mapping the 

 areas of drifting sand in the Columbia River basin, in Michigan, and 

 at several points on the Atlantic coast. Several sand binders are 

 being tested on an artificial sand dune on the Department grounds. 

 Mr. A. S. Hitchcock is now in Europe studying sand-binding work 

 done there during the past one hundred and fifty years. 



Overflowed lands. — We are studying the natural herbage that is 

 cut for hay on overflowed and swamp lands — Mr. Hitchcock in Wis- 

 consin, Mr. Grifiiths in Oregon, Mr. Ricker in Maine, and Mr. E. N. 

 Wilcox in Hlinois. We have made an extensive plantation of grasses 

 on overflowed land near Pekin, 111., Mr. Wilcox being in charge. 



Mr. C. R. Ball will continue the work at Arlington Farm, whei-e we 

 are carrying on variety tests of cowjieas, soy beans, the nonsaccha- 

 rine sorghums, and pearl millets. Last sj^ring we secured all the 

 available varieties of these plants, and we are studj-ing them with a 

 view to ascertaining their adaptabilitj^ to various farm conditions. 

 We are making comparative tests of millets, cowpeas, A'elvet beans, 

 soy beans, vetches, wheat, macaroni wheat, emmer, oats, rye, and 

 barley as forage crops. We are testing the millets, teosinte, and the 

 saccharine sorghums for their yield of green forage. In this work at 

 Arlington Farm Mr. Ball is assisted by Mr. W. M. Pollock. This is 

 also the case in the work of the grass garden located on the Depart- 

 ment grounds. In this we are growing various varieties of clovers, 

 alfalfas, beans, jjeas, hay and pasture grasses, lawn grasses, sand- 



