164 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



CONGRESSIONAL SEED DISTRIBUTION. 



During the fiscal year 1919 there were distributed on congressional 

 and miscellaneous requests 8,072,791 packages of vegetable seed, and 

 883,136 packages of flower seed, or a total of 8,955,927 packages, each 

 containing five packets -of different kinds of seed. There were also 

 distributed 12,122 packages of lawn-grass seed, and 10,368 packages 

 of imported narcissus and tulip bulbs. The seeds and bulbs were 

 purchased on competitive bids, as heretofore. Each lot of seed pur- 

 chased was thoroughly tested for purity and viability, before accept- 

 ance by the Bureau of Plant Industry, and tests of each lot of seed 

 were conducted on the trial grounds of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture to determine its trueness to type. 



NEW AND RARE FIELD-SEED DISTRIBUTION. 



A distribution of new and rare field seeds was made throughout 

 the entire United States, having for its object the dissemination of 

 seed of new and rare field crops, seed of improved strains of staple 

 crops, and high-grade seed of crops new^ to sections where the data 

 of the Department of Agriculture indicate such crops to be of con- 

 siderable promise. Each package contained a sufficient quantity of 

 seed for a satisfactory field trial, and the recipient was urged to use 

 the seed, if feasible, for the production of stocks for future plantings. 

 A report card and a circular giving full directions for the culture of 

 the crop accompanied each package of seed. 



Only seed of new crops or of improved strains of standard crops 

 were distributed, including the following: Dakota-grown, Grimm, 

 Kansas-grown, and Peruvian alfalfas; Great Northern field beans; 

 yellow and white sweet clovers; Brabham, Groit, and Early Buff 

 cowpeas; feterita; Bangalia, Carleton, Gregory, and Paragon field 

 peas; Natal grass, orchard grass, and Rhodes grass; Dwarf Black- 

 hull kafir; Turkestan, Golden, and Kursk millet; Dwarf Yellow 

 milo; Freed, Dakota Amber, Red Amber, and Sumac sorghums; 

 Biloxi, Black Eyebrow, Haberlandt, Ito San, Mammoth Yellow, 

 Manchu, Peking, Tokyo, Virginia, Wilson, and Wilson- Five varieties 

 of soy beans; Sudan grass; Alabama, Bush, Georgia, and Osceola 

 velvet beans; purple, narrow-leaved, and woolly-podded vetch; and 

 the Acala, Columbia, Dixie, Durango, Holdon, Lone Star, Meade, 

 and Trice varieties of cotton. 



During the year 139,441 packages of new and rare forage-crop 

 seeds and 80,701 packages of cotton seed, or a total of 220,142 pack- 

 ages, were distributed. Gratifying results were obtained, indicating 

 that by enabling a farmer to procure seed of new and improved 

 crops in sufficient quantity to produce stocks for future seeding the 

 crops of the country are gradually improved. 



SOIL-FERTILITY INVESTIGATIONS. 



FERTILIZER STUDIES IN THE FIELD. 



Field studies have been continued and much extended during the 

 year, and the results obtained have been particularly timely, in view 

 of the fact chat the war has upset the normal fertilizer composition 

 and practice with regard both to nitrogen carriers and to potash 



