and southern portions of the State, including annual and winter- 

 growing varieties of grasses and forage plants, as well as the more 

 permanent perennials. The diversity of soil and climatic conditions 

 included make it necessary to consider this question from a number 

 of different directions, although the general problem may be the 

 same. In part, this work has to do with the actual formation of 

 meadows and pastures, and in part with the changing of the natural 

 fields to better and more productive ones through the addition of im- 

 proved and hardy varieties. The second question has to do with 

 drought-resistant grass and forage crops, and is essentially the same 

 here as in the other southwestern States : so likewise the third prob- 

 lem — that of range improvement ; and also the fourth — alkali-resist- 

 ant crops. 



After going over the whole matter in detail with Director Connell, 

 and conferring also with our special agent at Abilene, and many 

 stock raisers and farmers in different sections of the State, I am con- 

 fident that the most important problem, and the one in which most 

 good can be accomplished by cooperative investigation, is that of the 

 improvement of meadows and pastures. Moreover, the conditions 

 are especially favorable for the undertaking of such work, since there 

 is. as already mentioned, a well-organized plan of cooperation between 

 leading farmers and stockmen and the State station; and. by the 

 distribution of suitable seeds to these parties, to be tested under the 

 supervision of the station authorities, the investigations can be under- 

 taken immediately and with with every promise of early results. 



NEW MEXICO. 



This Territory presents a number of serious forage problems, but 

 the conditions have been such that the local institution has been 

 unable to undertake the work systematically. The authorities, how- 

 ever, are thoroughly awake to the need of carefully investigating 

 these problems and are very desirous of securing the cooperation of 

 the Department. Unfortunately on account of lack of funds and 

 facilities they are not well prepared to undertake these investigations, 

 and the local conditions are such that work has to be done under 

 serious difficulties. Little has been done in the way of cooperation 

 witli the ranchers, and relatively little preliminary investigation oi 

 the range conditions has been made. The problems which at once 

 impress themselves upon one looking over the field in this section are: 

 (1) range improvement, ('2) drought-resistant grasses ami foi 

 crops, (3) alkali-resistant forage crops, (4) forage crops for the | 

 duction of late winter and spring feed, and (5) leguminous crops for 

 soil cover for the orchards in the fruit-growing sections (relatively 

 local). Under the present conditions there is little possibility o( 

 being able to do much in cooperation with the farmers and ranchmen 



