106 DEPAKTMENTAL REPORTS. 



because of its large size and desirable shape. During the past year 

 scions and buds of this variety have been secured, and it is certain 

 that in a few years California ^vill produce all the almonds we shall 

 use, and those of the best quality. 



TURKESTAN ALFALFA. 



In 1898, the Department made the first importation of Turkestan 

 alfalfa seed. The seed secured ivt that time was obtained partly in 

 the cotton districts of Turkestan and partly to the north of Tashkent 

 in a mountainous country having a rigorous climate. The seed 

 imported was distributed throughout the Northwest, and it was found 

 that the seed grown in the colder climate of the mountainous country 

 was especially adapted to our Northwest. The gratifying results 

 obtained from this seed justify us in making another large importa- 

 tion of seed of this hardy variety for general distribution throughout 

 the Northwest. This seed will be bought by a special agent of the 

 Department, and it can be said with the greatest confidence that the 

 seed secured will be the best that can be obtained. 



ALKALI-RESISTANT ALFALFA. 



The great need of a large section of the irrigable Southwest is to 

 have varieties of plants that will thrive in soils having from 0.6 to 1 

 per cent of alkali. The most valuable plant for this region is alfalfa, 

 but the variety at present grown will not thrive in soil containing 

 more than 0.4 of 1 per cent of alkali. From the reports of our agri- 

 cultural explorers and others familiar with the soil conditions in 

 Algeria and in Egypt, there seems reason to believe that an alfalfa 

 resistant to at least 1 per cent of alkali in the soil may be found in 

 these countries. We have, therefore, sent two of the Department 

 experts to Algeria and Egypt with instructions to study the agricul- 

 tural conditions and to bring back seed of any varieties of alfalfa and 

 of other useful plants with which to experiment in the alkali soils of 

 the Southwest. These will be carefully tried, and if any prove use- 

 ful the seed will be secured in sufficient quantity to make a general 

 distribution in the alkali region. 



PLANS FOR THE FUTURE, 



With a view to sj'stematizing the entire seed work, a reorganization 

 has been efi'ected whereby all matters pertaining to the securing and 

 distribution of the seed for the Congressional distribution and the 

 foreign introduction work have been placed in charge of Mr. A. J. 

 Pieters. In view of the extent to which the work of distributing seed 

 had developed in the Department when this Bureau took charge of ii, 

 an effort was made to bring about such changes as would improve the 

 efficiency of the service in every way consistent with economy. It 

 has long been conceded that the contract sj^stem of handling the main 

 part of the work was open to serious objections. The contract, as a 

 rule, is taken at a low figure, and it is necessary for the successful 

 bidder to secure seed as cheaply as possible in order to realize a profit 

 out of the work. The rules of the Department in regard to vitality, 

 purity, and other tests protect its interests to a certain extent, but 

 not fully, no matter how rigidly these rules may be enforced. As a 

 first step, therefore, toward improvement, it was planned for the 

 forthcoming distribution to abandon the contract system, except in so 



