COOPERATIVE GRASS AND FORAGE PLAINT INVESTIGATIONS WITH 

 STATE EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the accompanying pages is given a brief report of a trip made 

 during the months of May and June under instructions from the 

 Agrostologist in accordance with the letter of authorization from the 

 Secretary, dated April 24, 1900. The purpose of this trip was to 

 visit certain experiment stations in the West and to confer with the 

 authorities thereof regarding the forage conditions and needs of the 

 respective States and the possibilities of undertaking cooperative 

 grass and forage plant investigations between the stations and the 

 Department through the Division of Agrostology. In the course of 

 this trip the experiment stations of the following States and Terri- 

 tories were visited in the order named : Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, 

 New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minne- 

 sota, and South Dakota. For the purpose of looking into investiga- 

 tions which are being carried on under the direction of this Division, 

 stops were also made at Abilene and Channing, Tex, ; Walla Walla, 

 Wash., and Highmore, S. Dak. ; and in order to get a better under- 

 standing of the prevailing forage conditions, stops were also made 

 at Prescott, Phoenix, and Winslow, Ariz. ; Las Vegas, New Mex. ; 

 Trinidad, Colo. ; and Ogden, Utah. At each of the experiment sta- 

 tions conferences were held with the director, agriculturist, and 

 botanist, and in some cases also with members of the governing 

 boards. In every case great interest was taken in the work of grass 

 and forage plant investigation, with an apparent readiness to join in 

 cooperative work wherever such could be undertaken to advantage. 



REVIEW OF CONDITIONS AND PROSPECTS IN THE SEVERAL STATES 



AND TERRITORIES. 



The following is a condensed statement of the results of the con- 

 ferences with the respective station authorities, both as to forage 

 conditions and needs, and as to possible lines of cooperation : 



MISSOURI. 



After considerable discussion with Director Waters and other 

 members of the station staff at Columbia, it became apparent that 

 there were three problems of considerable importance in the State, in 

 any of which it was possible to arrange cooperative work. The 

 most important of these, and the one which interests by far the 

 greater portion of the State, is the matter of the formation, care, and 

 management of permanent • meadows and pastures. There are 



