Introducing Animals From Foreign Countries. 155 



cal or in a temperate or cold-temperate region where 

 other field crops are grown. Men are needed who 

 know the whole range of sheep life, the regions to 

 which each form is suited; the possibilities of hybrid- 

 izing each wild and cultivated form, the one with the 

 other. Possibly new breeds of sheep could be created 

 10, 20, or even 50 per cent better for some of our condi- 

 tions than those now available. All will admit that 

 most of the greatly enlarged efforts should be used 

 in improving these, best breeds which are already im- 

 proved. But there may be new realms of effort and no 

 one has sufficiently explored the field to know their 

 limits. 



When Prof, Hansen of South Dakota, the first ex- 

 plorer sent out regularly by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, returned from his quest in Asia 

 for hardy fruits he blocked out some new work. His 

 hardy Turkestan alfalfa importations set the North 

 seeking other hardy forms of this species, with which 

 to bring this most valuable forage plant into the Corn- 

 belt and even carry it far to the Northward, Eastward 

 and Southward. It helped to infuse new hope in those 

 who were trying to push the Northern zone of the 

 Corn-belt farther North. It made us look with new 

 admiration on the rapidity with which our horticultural 

 friends are pushing the apple further toward the north 

 frigid zone." Prof. Hansen saw that the macaroni 

 wheats had pushed out farther into the arid zones of 

 Asia than had the bread wheats and on his return 

 urged the Secretary of Agriculture to arrange for their 

 importation. His faith has already resulted in a 10,- 

 ooo,ooo-bushel crop of this wheat in America's "short 

 grass country." Though not an animal specialist he 

 saw forms of domestic animal life which he urged 

 should be studied and possibly introduced with a view 

 to their improvement and use here, and possibly 

 to hybridizing them with our improved kinds. The 

 fat-tailed sheep, he has repeatedly urged, should be 



