152 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



tion water itself is saline. In quality they are neither of them of superior excellence 

 and are little used, if any, for beer-making purposes. The yield is small when com- 

 pared with that of barley grown on good soils, but it nevertheless seems to pay the 

 French colonists to grow it in these regions where very few plants of any kind suc- 

 ceed. The Arabs feed their horses largely on barley and even eat it themselves. Mr. 

 des Places says, however, that on these saline soils where this barley is grown he 

 finds a change of seed beneficial, even necessary, and he imports every year or two 

 his seed barley and seed wheat from the mountains, because it so rapidly degenerates. 

 These barleys are introduced for a trial on the salt lands of the Southwest. The 

 names given are Arab ones for slightly different strains. Secured of Mr. Charles B. 

 des Places. ' ' ( Fair child and Scofield. ) 



7584. Hordeum tetrastichum. Barley. 



From El-Outaya, Constantine, Algeria. Received through Messrs. D. G. Fair- 

 child and C. S. Scofield (No. 733), September 26, 1901.' 



Telli. "A barley for salt lands under irrigation. See No. 7583 for description." 

 ( Fairchild and Scofield. ) 



7585. Triticum tutcgidum. Wheat. 



From Oran, Algeria. Received through Messrs. D. G. Fairchild and C. S. Sco- 

 field (No. 734), September 26, 1901. 



Black Poulard. "This is one of the so-called Poulard wheats, a class which is 

 commonly grown in France on stiff or heavy soils unfavorable to the culture of less 

 vigorous sorts. The quality of the grain is considered inferior to that of either T. 

 durum or T. vulgare. It is particularly valuable on account of its vigorous growth 

 and hardiness. It is usually grown as an autumn wheat, but is worthy of trial on 

 any land too heavy or too coarse to produce ordinary wheats to good advantage. The 

 seed was secured from M. Vermeil, professor of agriculture at Oran, who has it grow- 

 ing in his experimental plats under the Arabic name of 'Kahla,' a name which, 

 however, is applied in other parts of Algeria to a quite different variety of wheat. 

 (See Nos. 7581 and 7794. ) This is not a macaroni wheat, but may be used for flour 

 making. ' ' ( Fairchild and Scofield. ) 



7586. Medicago sativa. Alfalfa. 



From Setif, province of Constantine, Algeria. Received through Messrs. D. G. 

 Fairchild and C. S. Scofield (No. 735a), November 11, 1901. 



"A wild variety which has been introduced into culture by Mr. G. Ryf, of Setif, 

 who is conducting experiments, the results of which are published by the "Cornice 

 Agricole," of Setif, of which Mr. Ryf is a prominent member. This variety has been 

 remarkable in its variation since its introduction to cultivation, and the seed should 

 prove an excellent foundation stock from which to select varieties for special soils 

 and conditions. In general it has been found very resistant to drought and well 

 adapted to soils rich in phosphates. Mr. Ryf has an interesting method of cultivat- 

 ing it. He plants the seed in rows 39 inches apart and cultivates between the rows 

 the first season. The following season the crops of hay are cut as rapidly as they 

 come on, and the plants spread out, forming broad bands or rows. The season fol- 

 lowing, the space between the rows and all but a narrow band 8 inches wide of 

 the alfalfa is plowed under and well tilled. After this cultivation a crop of wheat 

 is sown between the rows of alfalfa, and when this is matured and removed a light 

 cultivation is given, and the following year the row T s of alfalfa are allowed to spread 

 out and crops of hay are taken off. In this way wheat and alfalfa are alternated 

 from year to year. Mr. Ryf finds that by following this method the perennial legu- 

 minous forage crops give much better results than annual ones. This he attributes 

 largely to the extra amount of cultivation that this method permits. In fact he finds 

 that for his conditions an extra cultivation of the soil gives better results in the fol- 

 lowing crop than the planting of an annual leguminous crop, with which cultivation 

 is impossible. This is seed from a procumbent form of the plant." {Fairchild and 

 Scofield. ) 



7587. Medicago sativa. Alfalfa. 



From Setif, Constantine, Algeria. Received through Messrs. D. G. Fairchild 

 and C. S. Scofield (No. 735a), November 11, 1901. 



A wild variety, with erect form. (See No. 7586.) 



