522 
greenhouses throughout Russia is still with flues, so one can- 
not expect cut flowers like one sees in America. Plants, how- 
ever, coming originally from countries with fairly dry air, 
like Cyclamen persicum, Cineraria hybrida, (fr. Canary Is- 
lands), Cape of Good Hope plants, these all do better in flue- 
heated houses than in steam or hot water warmed conservatories 
and I noticed some very fine flowers on the Cyclamens." 
Mr. Prank N. Meyer writes December 10, 1911, from 
Rostof f -on-Don, Russia: "Mr. Bogdan has now at Krassny Koot 
about 5 desiatines (13| acres) in M. falcata, one block of 4 
des. sown broadcast and the rest in smaller parcels, among 
which there are blocks where the selected plants are given 
extra care. Of these selected types he has about 400 speci- 
mens, all differing from one another, for this M. falcata is 
wonderfully variable; among these 400 however there are about 
15 types which possess all factors that make them good fodder 
plants, viz., of strong upright growth, plenty of foliage, 
good seed ( producers and the pods not easily springing open or 
dropping off. Several of these types are hybrids between M. 
sativa and M. falcata. It seems also, however, that M. falcata 
gradually passes over into M. sativa, for there are forms of 
the first with bluish flowers and somewhat spiralled pods. 
(This is apparently the form Medicago coerulea! ) Mr. Bogdan 
shares my opinion that M. falcata lends itself to the develop- 
ment of many types, some of which are of value on various 
sorts of pasture grounds, some for various sorts of hay-lands 
and some fit to be grown for fodder exclusively; various lo- 
calities will have to develop varieties best suited to local 
conditions . 
Mr. Bodgan showed me several hybrids of M. falcata x M. 
sativa that were perfectly sterile, though of good habits 
otherwise. His experiences with sowing were that the seed 
possesses from 30-80$ germinating powers. Some plants become 
good sized plants in one season, bearing seeds even, while 
others grow very slow and do not bear until the third year. 
Some plants stand cutting twice, while others make no growth 
after having been cut once. The finest quality of M. falcata 
is that it stops growing when the hot and dry weather arrives, 
thereby saving itself, while M. sativa tries to push out and 
weakens itself so that the plants die out after three years. 
Mr. Bogdan found out that a thin stand suits M. falcata much 
better than being sown thickly and to accomplish such a thin 
stand he mixes the seed throughly with old millet seed (proso, 
Panicum miliaceum) that does not germinate any longer and gets 
his plants at the right distances. Next year he hopes to have 
20 desiatines (54 acres) in M. falcata, so as to begin to 
supply the farmers with seed. The climate there in Krassny 
Koot is a real Steppe climate. In July, 1911, it was 108° 
