LETFER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Division of Agrostology, 

 Washington^ D. C. , Jornimry ^^, 1900. 

 ■ Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith, and recommend for 

 publication as Bulletin No. 22 of this Division, a report on the coop- 

 erative experiments carried on during the past three years, prepared 

 under my direction by Dr. P. Beveridge Kennedy, expert in charge 

 of experimental work. During this period seeds of 251 varieties of 

 grasses and forage plants, making nearly 10,000 packages, have been 

 distributed by the Division. Five thousand one hundred and twenty 

 packages have been sent to those whom we term our volunteer experi- 

 menters, nearly 3,000 to the agricultural experiment stations, and 

 1,110 packages have been sent to stations in foreign countries. Two 

 of these stations — one in Cape Colony, South Africa, and one in 

 Australia — have already published interesting reports upon the results 

 obtained from the seeds sent them, and several of our agricultural 

 experiment stations have made the results secured from cultivation of 

 the seeds obtained through this Division the basis of important reports. 

 These distributions have incited a wide-spread and marked interest in 

 a subject of great financial importance to every farmer and stock owner 

 in the country, and while we know our work along these lines has 

 been of direct benefit to many individuals, we are equally confident 

 that the investigations now being carried on and partially noted in 

 this report will advance and improve the farming and grazing inter- 

 ests of the entire country. The report here presented is based almost 

 entirely upon the reports of our volunteer experimenters, and will be 

 of special interest on account of the fact that the testimony given 

 comes directly from the practical farmer. 



Respectfully, F. Lamson-Scribner, 



Agrostologist. 

 Hon. James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agricidture. 

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