COOPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS WITH GRASSES AND FORAGE 



PLANTS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The interest in the introduction of useful grasses and forage plants 

 is increasing throughout the country every year. Daily applications 

 are received from farmers who desire to cooperate with the Division 

 in the important work of introduction and trial of new or untried 

 varieties. Thus is created a greater demand for certain varieties 

 which might never have been brought into cultivation except by the 

 efforts of the Department of Agriculture. For example, the smooth 

 brome grass, hairy vetch, Turkestan alfalfa, velvet bean, sulla, Metcalfe 

 bean, slender wheat grass, Western wheat grass, Japanese barnyard 

 millet, and many others may be cited. 



The main object is to introduce into cultivation native and foreign 

 varieties of grass and forage plants that are suitable for certain pur- 

 poses or conditions. Some plants have been found to be excellent 

 drought-resisters; others, on account of their strong, creeping root- 

 stocks, are found to be well adapted to bind the drifting sands of our 

 coasts and lake shores, while still others have the power to resist the 

 trampling of stock and are valuable for reclaiming the cattle ranges of 

 the great West. Demands come from the South, where the land has 

 become exhausted by continuous growing of cotton, for forage plants 

 that will restore the fertility of the soil. There are large tracts of land 

 in the country where the soil is so alkaline that the cultivated grasses 

 will not grow on them. By the introduction of saltbushes on these 

 lands a nourishing forage can be produced which is liked by all kinds 

 of stock. Other requests are made for trial packages of seed suit- 

 able for lawns, golf links, fair grounds, and parks in all sections of the 

 United States. The climate and soil conditions of the country are so 

 varied that much study, observation, and experimentation is neces- 

 sary in order to meet the needs of the different sections and to carry 

 on a wise, useful, and economical distribution. 



Since 1896 this Division has distributed 5,120 packages of seed, 

 including 251 varieties of grasses and forage plants, to volunteer 

 experimenters, 2,927 packages to experiment stations and universities, 

 and 1,110 packages to foreign countries, making a total of 9,157 

 packages. 



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