2 BULLETIN 981, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Sudan grass now being grown in the United States. The value of 

 this crop in 1918 was estimated at $10,500,000. 



The first importation of Sudan grass seed, which was received in 

 the United States on March 16, 1909, was presented to the United 

 States Department of Agriculture by R. Hewison, then Director of 

 Agriculture and Lands, Sudan Government, Khartum, Sudan. This 

 shipment was assigned S. P. I. No. 25017. A second importation was 

 received on July 12, 1912, from W. A. Davie, Inspector of Agriculture, 

 Khartum, Sudan, and assigned S. P. I. No. 34114. A third lot was re- 



Fig. 1.— The original package of Sudan grass seed just as it came from Mr. R. Hewison, Khartum, except 

 for the attached inventory tag of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 



ceived on January 24, 1918, from W. Carl McQuiston, Cairo, Egypt, and 

 numbered 45773 in the Seed and Plant Introduction Inventory. The 

 first two importations, Nos. 25017 and 34114, were to all appearances 

 identical in value, but No. 45773 was less vigorous and was therefore 

 not used in growing seed for experimentation or distribution. 



In addition to the shipments received by the United States Depart- 

 ment Of Agriculture, there were at least two known importations of 

 Sudan grass seed from Africa by private parties, one by L. T. Shoe- 

 maker, Camden, Ohio, in 1914, and the other by W. E. Mountain, 



