EXPEEIMENTS ON FOEEIGN SEEDS. 



During the season of 1894 the foreign plants described 

 in this bulletin were tested on the grounds of the Botanical 

 Garden, and have been found sufficiently valuable to warrant 

 their introduction into Alabama. 



There has been much published in recent years in regard 

 to certain field crops and vegetables highly prized by the 

 inhabitants of India, Japan, China, Egypt and the South 

 American countries. In some of the Northern States ex- 

 periments have been conducted on a somewhat elaborate 

 scale to determine which ones of these foreign plants are 

 best adapted to that climate and will repay cultivation. 

 Comparatively little, however, has been done on this subject 

 in the Southern States. This is to be regretted, since some 

 of these plants are of great value as food for stock and man 

 and can be successfully grown only in a southern cli- 

 mate. The season in the South is so mild and the cool 

 weather is of such short duration, many of the field crops, 

 vegetables and fruits which are so valuable abroad can be 

 as successfully grown here as in their native countries ; and 

 we have a means here of greatly increasing the lists of our 

 food producing plants. It is the intention of the Botanical 

 Department to continue the experiments on these foreign 

 plants from year to year until much that is valuable to the 

 Alabama farmer is secured and published for his benefit. 



EiAGi Millet. {Eleusine corocana.) 



This grass was imported from the Madras Presidency, 

 India, and a small area was planted in 1894, The growth 

 was quite rapid and luxuriant ; and within a few weeks after 

 the seeds were sown the fine growth of culms and leaves 

 were admired by every passer-by. The stalks reached a 

 height of three or four feet and then threw up thick flower 

 heads, and soon began ripening their seeds ; other flower 



