CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE; MANUAL 233 



It appears thai 1 ho effort has been found rather to find a 

 quick growing plant adapted to extreme northern sum- 

 mers, than one which will defy drouth. Prof. Hansen 

 sent back from Asia the seeds of three kinds of alfalfa, 

 two found far north and growing where there was little 

 rain, and the other growing in the woods. He also brought 

 back seeds of several kinds of clover native in northern 

 Siberia where it is very cold, with short summers and 

 little rain. All these will be tried out in the Dakotas and 

 in a few years seed will be distributed to farmers. Another 

 thing brought back is a coarse potato suitable only for 

 stock food, which is said to grow in a dry northern cli- 

 mate. A visit was made also to the high table land in 

 central Asia, where, it is stated, alfalfa has been grown for 

 centuries under conditions very similar to those found in 

 the semi-arid region of America. 



It does not appear, from anything that has as yet been 

 published, that any special information has been secured 

 as to the character of the soil or the methods of cultiva- 

 tion which have prevailed in these regions of the old world 

 where conditions are exceptional. 



From what Prof. Hansen has said it may be fairly 

 inferred that he realizes fully that drouth resistance is 

 something that does not inhere alone in plants, but there 

 are other things to be considered. 



The fact is that great good can and will be accom- 

 plished by the .importation of new plants adapted to 

 growth in unusual climates, but this must and will be, 

 by and through cultivation of these plants in connection 

 with systems of soil culture adapted to the regions. Suc- 

 cess in adapting Asiatic drouth-resisting plants and grasses 

 will be attained only by making use of scientific soil cul- 

 ture. Putting the two together will be vastly beneficial. 



