32 BREEDING DROUGHT-RESISTANT FORAGE PLANTS. 



Considerable variation among the individual plants was noted in 

 height, amount of stooling, and leafiness. The most desirable types 

 were those which have the leaves extending well up along the culms, 

 thus producing a very leafy plant. There was much variation in 

 this regard. In 1910 the seed of these selections was planted in 

 rows so that a close comparison could be made of their progeny. A 

 few individual plant selections of slender wheat-grass were furnished 

 by the Office of Forage-Crop Investigations, and these were planted in 

 progeny rows in 1909. 



AGEOPYRON CRISTATUM. 



The grass botanically known as Agropyron cristatum, recently 

 introduced from Siberia by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, gives evidence of being a very hardy grass. In cooperation 

 with the Office of Forage-Crop Investigations, seed of six different 

 lots, S. P. I. Nos. 19536 to 19541, inclusive, was planted in the grass 

 nursery at Bellefourche in 1908 (PL IV, fig. 1), and larger areas 

 were planted again in 1909. It was observed that this species starts 

 growth very early in the spring, and is not injured by severe frosts. 

 In habit of growth it is like slender wheat-grass, being a " bunch- 

 grass" without creeping rootstocks, but in the character of its rather 

 harsh foliage it somewhat resembles western wheat-grass. Further 

 tests will be made of seed from several sources, and if the species 

 proves to be valuable as a hay grass, selections of superior strains will 

 be made. 



CANADA PEAS. 



The Office of Forage-Crop Investigations tested a large number 

 of varieties of Canada peas, grass peas (Lathyrus sativus), and several 

 varieties of vetches at the Bellefourche Experiment Farm in 1908 

 and 1909. The yields of most of these have not been satisfactory 

 in the two years during which tests have been made. The low yields 

 have probably been due to the newness of the soil at the farm, as the 

 plats were on land broken only one year previous to cropping. Two 

 or three varieties of Canada peas, however, are very promising, and 

 breeding work has been begun with these. 



In dry-land farming the need of an annual leguminous crop for 

 use as green manure in short rotations is apparent, and Canada peas 

 promise to be the most valuable crop for this purpose in the northern 

 Great Plains region. The breeding work will be directed to obtaining 

 a more drought-resistant variety than is now grown in the region, 

 combining also fair seed production with a good forage type of plant. 



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