44 



The National Geographic Magazine 



selves adapted to the regions where at 

 present hay grasses are wanting. It is 

 believed that hay grasses can be found 

 on the Western plains where the aver- 

 age annual rainfall does not exceed 1 5 

 inches. It has been found that a num- 

 ber of plants can be made to furnish sat- 

 isfactory pasture throughout the winter 

 months in the South, and cooperation is 

 planned with Southern experiment sta- 

 tions and farmers to test a number of 

 such plants for winter-pasture purposes. 



NEW FORAGE CROPS FOR THE GULF 

 REGION AND THE PACIFIC COAST 



The agrostologists are studying the 

 forage value of the velvet bean, beggar 

 weed, Mexican clover, and cassava for 

 for the region adjacent to the Gulf of 

 Mexico. The Bureau of Plant Industry 

 is seeking to provide suitable forage 

 crops for southern Florida, and it is also 

 searching for forage crops to grow alter- 

 nately with wheat in the great wheat 

 regions on the Pacific coast, so that the 

 farmers may secure more than one crop 

 every other year, 



MARKETING OF FRUITS 



Much attention has been given to the 

 development of the trans- Atlantic ex- 

 port trade. Large and profitable ship- 

 ments of Bartlett pears were made from 

 eastern orchards to British markets. 

 It is known that more than 75,000 pack- 

 ages of this variety were exported, while 

 the total shipments of eastern-grown 

 summer and fall pears amounted to at 

 least 165 carloads. 



An encouraging beginning has been 

 effected in commercial shipments of 

 American apples to French markets. 

 The most important experimental ex- 

 port work has been done upon winter 

 apples. The proportion exported has 

 risen from less than 1 per cent of the 

 estimated total in 1 899-1 900 to nearly 

 6fY\ per cent in 1903- 1904, a total of 

 over 2,000,000 barrels, valued at nearly 

 $5,500,000. 



COLD STORAGE OF FRUIT 



The cold storage of fruit has grown 

 to large proportions, nearly 3,000,000 

 barrels having been cold-stored in the 

 United States during the last winter as a 

 result of investigations during the past 

 year. It is found that the condition in 

 which the fruit is grown and the man- 

 ner of handling it determine to a large 

 extent its keeping quality and ultimate 

 value. Fruit intended for storage must 

 be handled with the utmost care in pick- 

 ing, packing, and shipping, and stored 

 quickly after picking, in well- ventilated 

 rooms with a temperature from 31 0 F. 

 to 32 0 F. 



PLANT-BREEDING WORK 



Much important work has been done 

 in plant breeding. Great advances have 

 been made in securing new and desirable 

 long-staple cottons. Important results 

 have been obtained in the breeding and 

 improvement of corn and of oats and 

 potatoes. Some of the most important 

 investigations in breeding and selection 

 have been inaugurated in connection 

 with the growing of tobacco. Extensive 

 work has been carried on in Connecticut, 

 and the work has shown unquestionably 

 that the desirable characteristics in the 

 leaf can be fixed in the first year's se- 

 lection. 



CROPS REQUIRING LITTLE WATER 



It is believed that a profitable system 

 of agriculture can be developed for the 

 semi-arid area of the United States by 

 securing crops which will grow with a 

 very small amount of water. Consider- 

 able progress has been made in this di- 

 rection. 



MEANS OF DESTROYING ALG^) IN 

 WATER SUPPLIES 



The Secretary calls attention to the 

 investigations carried on by the plant 

 physiologist with a view to finding 

 methods of destroying noxious algae in 

 water supplies, the method consisting 



