14 BREEDING DROUGHT-RESISTANT FORAGE PLANTS. 



fourche represent the fourth generation of seed. They are somewhat, 

 coarse, with stems inclined to be stout and not greatly branched. 

 The results obtained this season indicate that this strain is fair in 

 seed production. 



Strain B. — This is South Dakota No. 66. "The seed was obtained 

 by Prof. N. E. Hansen, from Merke (lat. 43° N., long. 73° E.), north- 

 ern Turkestan in 1898 for the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture. It was distributed by the department as S. P. I. a No. 1169. 

 It was sown in a small plat at Brookings in 1899 and has not winter- 

 killed to date. The seed from this plat was sown at Highmore in 

 1905 in selection rows. The results seem to show it to be about equal 

 to No. 65 in quality, hardiness, and seed production." 6 The plants 

 of this variety are large, coarse, woody in texture, and poor in amount 

 of branching. It has proved the poorest in seed yield of any of the 

 varieties tested at Bellefourche. 



Strain C. — This is South Dakota No. 67. "The seed was obtained 

 from the Minnesota experiment station as Minnesota No. 3 in 1902." h 

 Minnesota No. 3 was derived from seed purchased by the Minnesota 

 experiment station from a commercial seed firm under the name of 

 "Grimm" alfalfa, but has shown itself to be different from that 

 variety in hardiness and other qualities. It is similar in type of plant 

 to strain E described below, but is somewhat inferior in both forage 

 and seed yield. 



Strain D. — This is South Dakota No. 150, purchased from a seed 

 firm as Turkestan alfalfa. It is similar in type of plant to the other 

 Turkestan strains, which are inclined to be woody, spreading, and 

 lacking in leanness and branching. 



Strain E. — This is South Dakota No. 162. This strain originated 

 from the Grimm alfalfa which has been grown near Excelsior, Minn., 

 for more than fifty years. c In all the tests at Brookings, Highmore, 

 and Bellefourche- it has proved superior to all other stocks tested in 

 seed production, hardiness, and forage type of plant. The selec- 

 tions grown at Bellefourche are inclined to be very leafy, much 

 branched, with short internodes and fine stems. This gives the 

 maximum amount of palatable forage. The selections have proved 

 to be uniformly good in seed production, which is a valuable char- 

 acteristic of these selections, since the seed yield is one of the impor- 

 tant features of the crop in the Great Plains region. 



« An abbreviation for the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. 



& Wheeler, W. A., loc. cit. 



c Brand, C. J. The Acclimatization of an Alfalfa Variety in Minnesota. Science, 

 vol. 28, 1908, p. 891. Westgate, J. M. Bulletin 169, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1909. Science, vol. 30, 1909, p. 184. 

 196 



