﻿B. 
  P. 
  I.— 
  767. 
  

  

  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED 
  DURING 
  THE 
  

   PERIOD 
  FROM 
  OCTOBER 
  1 
  TO 
  DECEMBER 
  31, 
  

   1911: 
  INVENTORY 
  NO. 
  29; 
  NOS. 
  31939 
  TO 
  32368. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTORY 
  STATEMENT. 
  

  

  This 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  inventories 
  contains 
  some 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Frank 
  N.- 
  

   Meyer's 
  collections 
  made 
  in 
  central 
  Asia. 
  They 
  should 
  attract 
  

   the 
  attention 
  of 
  experimenters 
  whose 
  work 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  creation 
  of 
  

   hardier 
  or 
  more 
  drought-resistant 
  fruits, 
  forage 
  crops, 
  or 
  grains 
  for 
  

   the 
  North 
  and 
  West. 
  The 
  difficulties 
  of 
  travel 
  outside 
  the 
  railroad 
  

   zone 
  in 
  Siberia 
  and 
  the 
  still 
  greater 
  difficulty 
  of 
  getting 
  the 
  living 
  

   plants 
  he 
  found 
  there 
  through 
  to 
  America 
  alive 
  give 
  to 
  these 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  a 
  special 
  value. 
  They 
  represent 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  

   interesting 
  plants 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  found 
  during 
  his 
  two 
  and 
  one-half 
  

   years' 
  absence. 
  Some 
  of 
  his 
  most 
  interesting 
  material 
  will 
  be 
  

   described 
  in 
  later 
  issues 
  of 
  the 
  inventories. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  America 
  and 
  will 
  spend 
  the 
  season 
  studying 
  

   the 
  hundreds 
  of 
  plants 
  which 
  he 
  secured 
  both 
  in 
  China 
  and 
  central 
  

   Asia, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  far 
  enough 
  advanced 
  to 
  show 
  their 
  adapta- 
  

   bility 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  climate. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Meyer's 
  new 
  durum 
  wheat, 
  the 
  Teiskaia 
  (No. 
  32157), 
  which 
  

   was 
  originated 
  at 
  the 
  Bezenshook 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  

   in 
  Russia, 
  can 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  cerealists, 
  in 
  as 
  

   much 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  proved 
  extremely 
  hardy 
  at 
  Samara, 
  not 
  being 
  injured 
  

   at 
  all, 
  while 
  other 
  varieties 
  tested 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  were 
  killed 
  out 
  or 
  

   at 
  least 
  severely 
  injured. 
  

  

  The 
  problem 
  of 
  studying 
  Medicago 
  falcata, 
  the 
  Siberian 
  alfalfa, 
  on 
  

   the 
  steppes 
  of 
  Siberia 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  

   he 
  has 
  found 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  distinct 
  wild 
  forms 
  which 
  are 
  worthy 
  of 
  

   special 
  attention. 
  One 
  is 
  a 
  bunchy 
  upright 
  form 
  (No. 
  32178) 
  from 
  

   Ust 
  Kamenogorsk, 
  southwestern 
  Siberia, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  very 
  vigor- 
  

   ous 
  prostrate 
  form 
  (No. 
  32179), 
  found 
  on 
  sandy, 
  level 
  stretches 
  of 
  

   land 
  along 
  the 
  River 
  Tom. 
  This 
  is 
  suited, 
  he 
  thinks, 
  for 
  cultivation 
  

   in 
  meadows 
  where 
  grass 
  is 
  grown 
  for 
  hay 
  production. 
  

  

  For 
  introduction 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  ranges 
  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  has 
  secured 
  a 
  

   species 
  of 
  Astragalus 
  (No. 
  32184) 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  bunchy 
  erect 
  habit, 
  is 
  

   eaten 
  by 
  cattle 
  and 
  horses, 
  and 
  which 
  he 
  believes 
  may 
  have 
  value 
  as 
  

   a 
  forage 
  plant 
  for 
  cool 
  semiarid 
  climates. 
  

  

  261 
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