nTTRODUGTIOII. 



In 1907 a study of the factors oontrolling 

 the pollination of alfalfa flowers was begun by the 

 writer, who v;as then located at Pullman, Washington, 

 in charge of the cooperative experimental work with 

 forage crops being carried on there by the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture and the "Washington State 'Ex- 

 periment Station. The investigation was begun in 

 1907 and was continued during the summers of 1908, 

 1909 and 1910. Most of the work was done on the 

 experimental plots at Pullman, Washington, though 

 considerable of the work done at Pullman was dupli- 

 cated in alfalfa fields near Chinook, in northern 

 Montana. Chinook is located in one of the most im- 

 portant alfalfa seed producing districts in the north- 

 west. 



The suggestion was made to the writer in 

 July, 1907, by members of the Office of Forage Crop 

 Investigations of the U. S. Departpaent of Agriculture, 

 that the relationship of the factors controlling the 

 pollination of alfalfa flowers to the development of 

 the alfalfa seed crop was a problem that had never 

 been thoroughly investigated. At that time there 

 was but a comparatively meager amount of information 



- 3 - 



