576 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and other Southern States, as a long sea- 
son and high temperature are necessary to fully mature the seed, though 
the plant as a fodder-plant does well in any section where maize will 
grow. Last season (1878) under the most favorable conditions we found 
that the seed did not ripen with us in New Jersey. 
Hungarian Mitlet-—or Hungarian Grass, is entirely different from Pearl 
Millet, bearing no resemblance to it. The plantis hardy. Seeds are 
grown in New York, New Jersey, and in many of the Western States. 
Timothy Grass—Is grown largely in Illinois, Wisconsin and New York. 
Blue Grass—Kentucky, Ohio, and other Western States. 
Red Top—New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, and Rhode Island. 
Orchard Grass—Kentucky, Ohio, and the Western States. 
Red Clover—Michigan, New York, Ohio, &e. 
White Clover—Wisconsin, Llinois, and Ohio, but the greater portion 
of it is yet imported from Germany and France. 
Inecerne or Alfalfa—California mainly. 
These localities are now the principal ones where seeds of commerce 
are grown, but every year, to some extent, these latitudes are changing, 
as we find that other latitudes are better suited for special kinds. For 
example, the long, dry seasons of California are found to mature many 
kinds of seeds far better than any section yet tried in the Atlantic 
States, particularly so in many of the more delicate kinds of flower seeds, 
that are yet nearly exclusively grown in Germany and France, and sold 
to us at rates of many times their weight in gold. Tens of thousands 
of acres are devoted to the culture of flower seeds in Southern Europe, 
which could probably be far better done in California, but the industry 
must be one of slow growth, for seeds are different from nearly all other 
mercantile commodities, inasmuch as no examination can certainly tell 
whether or not seed will germinate, or, if it does germinate, can it be 
known whether it is the variety specified until it matures; hence seed- 
merchants dare not purchase from the growers until not only their hon- 
esty but, what is of equal importance, their knowledge of the business in 
which they are engaged is assured. 
BORAX AS A PRESERVATIVE OF BUTTER. 
[This Department is indebted to the courtesy of the Secretary of State for the fol- 
lowing letter from J. Schuyler Crosby, consul at Florence, Italy, on a subject which 
seems to be attracting some attention both in Italy and France. ] 
UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
Florence, Ltaly, May 10, 1879. 
Hon. WILLIAM HUNTER, 
Second Assistant Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.: 
Str: A number of experiments have been made at the agricultural 
station at Florence, under the immediate supervision of Prof. Emilio 
Bechi, in substituting borax for salt in the preservation of butter. 
As the success of these experiments has been complete, and the ad- 
vantages of this plan for the preservation of butter is most clearly shown, 
I deem it important to make the following report to the Department of 
State for the benefit of our agriculturists at home. 
I am indebted to Professor Bechi for his courteous, prompt, and full 
reply to my inquiries on the subject. 
The opinion has been entertained by the farmers and exporters of but- 
