^f^ % \ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY— BULLETIN No. 25. B. T. OALLOWAY. CTiV/.)7-/;«m.«. MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 1. THE SEEDS OF RESCUE GRASS AND CHESS. By F. H. HILL^rAN, Afs^htiwt, Sral Lalii,r(tti,Ti,. H. SARAGOLLA WHEA T. By Daviu G. FairchiU ). Agriculiaral Explora: m. PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES FROM SOUTH AFRICA.' By David G. Faihchild, Agrieullitral Explorn. IV, CONGRESSIONAL SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION CIRCULARS, 19U2-L9n3. BOTANICAL INVESTIGATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS AND SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. I.s«iiED July 18, 1903. WASHINGTON: GOVERNWENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1903 HMDgtivn Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2010 witii funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/saragollawheatOOfair BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. Beverly T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. BOTANICAL INVESTIGATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS. Frederick V. Coville, Bolarviist. SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. A. J. PiETERS, Botanist in, Charge. MAR 31 iyu8 D. ot 0< CONTENTS. Page. The seeds of rescue grass and chess 5 Saragolla wheat - 9 Plant introduction notes from South Africa 13 Introduction 13 Some Cape seedling grape varieties 14 The Red Hanepoot grape _ 14 Vitis rupestris metallica 15 Vitis rupestris Le Eoux 16 Fruit-bearing hedge plants 16 Rhodes grass 17 The Kafir plum as a shade tree 18 The Rooi-bloem, a new corn parasite 18 The Natal pineapple 20 Congressional Seed and Plant Distribution circulars, 1902-1903 23 Plan of distribution and allotments 23 Distribution of novelties and specialties - 26 Directions for planting bulbs 47 Distribution of cotton seed 47 Rivers Sea Island cotton 59 Sea Island cotton No. 224 _ 64 Iron cowpea 65 Kleinwanzleben sugar beet 68 Distribution of tobacco seed and cultural directions 70 3 ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATES. Page. Plate I. Mature unopened cotton bolls — Parker, Jones Improved, Moore Excelsior, King, and Seabrook Sea Island 48 II. Mature unopened and opened cotton bolls — Griffin and Allen Improved _ - 56 III. Fig. 1 . —Field infected by wilt and root-knot. Fig. 2. — Roots of Iron cowpea. Fig. 3. — Root-knot on Wonderful cowpea 64 TEXT FIGURES. Fig. 1. Florets or seeds of fescue grass 6 2. Seeds of chess "- - 7 3. Upright chess 7 4. Map showing districts into which the United States has been divided for seed-distribution purposes 23 5. Hyacinth, tulip, and narcissus bulbs 47 6. Row of Rivers Sea Island cotton in wilt-infected field planted with rows of ordinar J- Sea Island cotton 60 4 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. B. P. I.— 1^9. B. I. E.— 52. -I.-THE SEEDS OF RESCUE GRASS AND CHESS." By F. H. HiLLM.^N, Assisiant, Seed Laboratory, Botanical Investigations and Experiments. There have recently been received at the Seed Laboratory from different States of the South several samples of the seed of chess, or cheat {Bromus secalinus), which had been offered for sale as rescue grass (Bromus unioloides). Notwithstanding the close botanical rela- tionship of chess to rescue grass, and the fact that the former is some- times, like the latter, employed as a hay crop, the difference between the two is so considerable that, if the seeds of both are to be handled in the trade, they should pass under their true names. The brome grasses belong to the genus Bromus and vary widely in their agricultural value. One of them, the awnless brome grass {BroTuxm inermis), also called smooth and Hungarian brome grass, is highly valued in the West as a drought-resisting forage and hay plant. Rescue grass bears a somewhat similar relation to the agriculture of the South, while the chess is less valuable than either. Some value is assigned to it in certain localities, but it has been long and widely recognized as a most troublesome weed. The frequency with which it occurs in grain fields has led to the erroneous belief, adhered to by many farmers even to the present day, that chess is a degenerated form of wheat. Chess seeds are often abundant among the seeds of the cereal grains and the larger grass seeds, and sometimes occur with red clover seed. With the aid of specimens, or descriptions, there should be no dif- ficulty in distinguishing the seed of rescue grass from that of chess. The differences between the seed of chess and that of its near ally, Bromus rcCbemosus^ are more difficult to detect; but from a practical " For some reason confusion has arisen in the Southern States regarding rescue grass and chess. Seed of the latter, which, though occasionally grown as a forage crop, is ordinarily a grain-field weed, has been offered for sale repeatedly under the name of the former, which is a valuable forage grass; and it has been thought desir- able to issue a brief description of the two, so that both seedsmen and purchasers may be able to distinguish them. The present paper is therefore presented. It was prepared under the direction of Mr. A. J. Pieters, Botanist in Charge of the Seed Laboratory. — Fkedeeick V. Coville, Botanist. 5 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. standpoint this is not so important, since the two plants are very similar in habit, and it is probable that in many localities the latter would prove quite as undesirable as chess. Bromus unioloides (Willd. ) H. B. K. {B. schraderi Kunth.) Eescue Grass. Schrader's Brome Grass. Arctic Grass. Florets, or " seeds,"" 11 to 25 mm. (^ to 1 inch) long, strongl3- com- pressed from the sides, sharply keeled along the back, lanceolate as viewed from the side, the apex tapering and usuallj^ tipped by a short awn, at the base of which the glume is slightly notched; margins of the glume membranous -edged and usuall}' not infolded ex- cept at the base; veins 4 or 5 on each side of the midnerve, or keel, evident as narrow ridges; palea two-thirds to three-fourths the length of the glume, which wholly in- closes it; grain folded length- wise and tightlj' clasping the infolded center of the palea. The florets are light or yellow- ish brown or straw-coloi'ed, often greenish and sometimes purplish. The surface varies from smooth to very finelj' rough-hairy, the latter condition being particularly evident on the veins and pedicel. When spread thinly on a level surface the seeds lie on one of the flattened sides. (Fig. 1.) Fig. 1. — Florets, or seeds, of rescue grass {Bromus miio- loid€S) : a, side view of a seed; 6, front view of a seed, showing the palea and pedicel between the edges of the glume: c, seeds, natural size. Bromus secalinus L. Chess. Cheat. Willard's Brome Grass. Florets about 7 mm. {^ to ^V inch) long, exclusive of the awn, which varies from 1 to 3 mm. in length, not compressed, cylindrical or some- what spindle-shaped, obtuse at the apex; glume notched at the apex above the insertion of the awn; margins more or less infolded below the middle, narrowly or scarcelj^ membranous-edged above the middle, usually not at all flaring at the apex; veins 3 on each side of the mid- nerve, very indistinct; palea equal to the glume, deeph' grooved con- formably with the grain, the keels hispid-ciliate and partialty or wholly " The seeds of these grasses in a commercial sense consist of the grain inclosed in the chaff — i. e., glume and palea. SEEDS OP RESCUE GRASS AND CHESS. exposed; grain equal to the glume and palea, often exposed at the apex of the floret, deeply grooved, reddish brown, sometimes occur- ring free from the glume and palea. The florets are light or dark brown and mostly smooth, and sometimes have a slight diffused hister under the lens. (Fig. 2.) The moio evident characters by which rescue-grass seed and chess seed majr be distinguished upon comparison are as follows: Rescue-grass seeds, being strongly compressed, lie only on one side when resting on. a level surface; and thus appear lance-shaped or broadly awl-shaped, tapering uni- formly to a sharp, short- awned point. In con- trast, the chess seeds arc from little more than one- <2. fourth to one - half as fw. 2. long, more robust, not ■Seeds of chess {Bruitiiis secalimts): aand6, front views; c. edge view; d, back view of seeds; e, seeds, natural size. The first three show the palea and pedicel. evidently flattened, near- ly cylindrical, grooved along one side, abruptly pointed, the apex with a veiy short or somewhat longer awn or awnless. When resting on a level surface they may lie slightly at one side of the midvein of the back, exposing to view the grooved face and a part of one side, or they may lie on the grooved face, showing the back. They more rarely rest directly on the back. Furthermore, the general color of a sample of chess is much darker brown than one of rescue-grass seed. Bromus racemosus L. Upright Chess. Florets about 9 mm. {i inch) long, exclusive of the slender awn, which varies from 4 to 9 mm. in length, similar to those of Bromus secalinus in general form. The glume is broader than in ]3. secalimis and usually more arched at the margins; edges sometimes membra- nous, especially at the apex, which is notched above the insertion of the awn and of- ten flai'ing; veins sometimes distinct; palea shorter than the glume, broadlj- hollowed or grooved, its keels more or less exposed and hispid-ciliate; grain shorter than the palea or at least covered by it, more broadl}^ grooved than in JBromus secalimts. The Pig. 3. — Upright chess {Brmnus racetnosus): a, back view; b and c, front views, and d, side view of seeds; e, seeds, naturalsize. Views 6 and c show the palea and pedicel. 8 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEBS. florets are smooth or finely roughened and straw-colored or light brown. (Fig- 3.) These seeds are as easily distinguished from rescue-grass seeds as are those of chess. They are most readity distinguished from chess seeds by the broader glume, longer awn, and shorter palea and grain. The following statement of the relative values of rescue grass and chess is contributed by Mr. Carleton R. Ball, Assistant Agi'ostologist of the Department of Agriculture: Rescue grass was introduced into tlie South some fifty years ago and has since been widely cultivated. Its chief value is for winter and early spring grazing. It is very hardy, and makes a luxuriant and rapid growth throughout the winter under favorable conditions. Although it is an annual plant, it is said to become a short- lived perennial under close grazing, which prevents the production of seed. In ordinary practice the grass is allowed to reseed itself each season. Where grazed, stock should be taken off long enough to allow seed to ripen in the early summer. If it is cut for hay in March, the aftermath will usually reseed the ground. A sum- mer crop may be grown on the same ground if it be taken off early enough to allow the young plants to begin their growth in the fall. Rescue grass is best adapted to rich, loamy soils. On light, poor soils it is probably inferior to rye or oats for pasturage or hay. Chess is becoming more and more common as a weed in southern wheat fields. In some parts of the country, particularly in the Northwest, it has considerable value as a hay crop. A similar value has sometimes been claimed for it in the Southern States, but the general opinion is quite the opposite. It often appears abundantly where grain crops have been killed by unfavorable conditions. There are, however, other catch crops with fewer weedy tendencies and greater forage value which may be employed in such cases. In feeding value, as indicated by chemical analyses, chess ranks lower than most grasses, including rescue grass. This has been proved to be true of it even in the Northwest, where it is so largely used for hay. B. P. I.— 57. S. P. I. D.— 34. II.-SARAGOLLA WHEAT. By David G. Fairchild, Aijricullural Explorer. Italy is the land of macaroni, and the best of this remarkable food product in the world is to be had in Naples. There seems to be an agreeable flavor about Neapolitan macaroni which is characteristic of it and which one does not find in the French or Spanish, or even in the north Italian made product. Macaroni a la Napolitona, with its sauce made from the plum-like tomatoes that one sees hung up to dry every- where on the walls of the narrow streets of Naples, must be tasted within sight of Vesuvius before one can judge this national Italian dish. In searching for a reason for this superiority of the Neapolitan macaroni, the writer's attention was called to the fact that an especially fine-flavored variety is made from a native wheat called Saragolla, and that this variety is made only in small quantities. Paradoxical as it may seem to the American who is ready to pay any price for the best food products, the very finest quality of Italian macaroni is not often exported to America. This is a statement which the writer feels war- ranted in making after interviewing some of the largest exporters of macaroni, as well as the famous producers of Gragnano and Torre Annunziata. The reason for this anomalous condition of the trade lies in the fact that the very finest kind of macaroni keeps only a few months, while the commonly exported article remains good for a year. In the days before the macaroni trade had assumed the proportions that it now occupies in the commerce of Italy it was supposed that only the hard wheats of Apulia and Sicily could be used in its manu- facture, but as the demand for this foodstuff increased the hard wheats of other countries were imported. Among these wheats those from southern Russia, the so-called Taganrog varieties, proved best suited to the demands of the manufacturer. They are now imported in large quantities every year, and the majority of the macaroni is said to be made from these imported wheats. Nevertheless the manu- factui'ers still consider the durum wheat of the province of Apulia to have ix flavor superior to the imported varieties, and they place the so- called Saragolla wheat at the head of all macaroni wheats so far as the production of a fine-flavored product is concerned. 10 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. The market price of the SaragoUa wheat ranges from 1.25 to 1.75 lire per quintal higher than that chai-ged for the best Taganrog sorts, even after a duty of 8 lire jDer quintal has been paid; and the reason for this higher price is not so much in the better flavor of the Italian wheat as in the greater yield of semola per given weight of grain. The semola makers get proportionately more salable product out of the SaragoUa wheats than they do out of those from Taganrog or other sources of import. It is from these south Italian wheats that the most delicate macaroni of Naples is made, and the connoisseur who wants to live well in southern Italy insists on having his macaroni made from the hard wheats of Apulia. It makes little difference to him that the more delicate variet}" does not keep so well and more quickly falls a prey to the attacks of insects. What he wants is the fine flavor. Like the export Munich beer, or the canned Danish butter, macaroni designed for sale in America, it is said, must be especially prepared, and the tougher gluten of the Taganrog wheat renders the macaroni that is made from it better suited for the export trade. Mixtures of the imported and the SaragoUa wheat are also often made, it is said. The region south of Foggia near the Adriatic coast of southern Italy, where this best Italian macaroni wheat is grown, is one of the driest in the countr}-, having an annual rainfall of onlj- 446.7 mm., or about 17.69 inches. In this respect it is but little superior to some of the Russian wheat regions, which have, according to Carleton, about 15 inches. Whether or not the generally acknowledged superiority of Italian macaroni, even that made from Taganrog wheat, is due to the water used in its manufacture is a question which would probably require much study to answer. It is difficult to understand how any bacteria present in the water used to make the paste can influence the flavor, for it is employed while boiling hot. There is a possibilitj^, however, that in the cellaring process, or the preliminary drying in the open air, the freshly made macaroni ma^^ be affected by the bacteria with which the air of the moist cellars and exposed drving places must be filled. Although perhaps superfluous to the American manufacturer of macaroni, a description of the process of making it as followed in Gragnano and Torre Annunziata maj' have some interest as being that pursued hj some of the most famous factories in the world. To travelers in Itah^ these towns are pointed out as nestling at the base of Vesuvius and forming scarcely more than suburbs to the big city of Naples. They are dependent upon the manufacture of the pastas, as the various types of macaroni are called, and hand-worked mills stand side bj' side with those run by steam; all squeezing out long strings of yellow paste, which are cut and hung up on poles to SARAGOLLA WHEAT. 11 dry. The housetops, courtyards, narrow streets, and hillsides are covered with thousands of reed poles bending- under the weight of yellow nuieai'oni, and scattered over the ground on mats lie different sorts of short-shaped pastas. The process of manufacture seems exceedingly^ simple, but ther(>, may, for all that, be secrets of the trade. As described in general by the manager of a large mill in Torre Annunziata the mode followed bj'^ the steam factories is as follows: The durum wheat is ground into semola and sieved to remove the starchy part of the giuins and leave the clear, light amber, or glutinous part. Three or four grades of quality are made, and these depend on the size of the sieve meshes. The semola is put into a special iron mixer, shaped like an old- fashioned artiller}^ mortar, except that it is square instead of cylindrical, and furnished in the bottom with special screw-shaped fans with which to stir the paste or dough. Boiling water is added to the semola and the dough is mixed for about seven minutes. The mass is then put on a flat, circular kneading board and kneaded bj^ two sharp-edged parallel beams, which rise and fall as the table turns and press into the dough as they descend. A few minutes of kneading are sufficient and the homogeneous dough is then put into the cylinder and the piston descends upon the mass, forcing it in strings slow!}' through the per- forated plate at the bottom. Fifteen minutes are required to convert the gallons of dough into thousands of feet of yellow macaroni. The yellow color is produced by the use of saffron, of which powder a very small quantity is put into each batch of dough. As soon as the strings of fresh paste which issue continually from the die are of the proper length they are cut and thrown over a reed pole and carried into the sunlight, if the weather is fair, or into sheltered terraces, protected by curtains from the rain, if the weather is unfavorable. On bright days the strings of macaroni are exposed to the sunlight onlj' two hours. Thej' must be dried out only slightly before being cellared for the night in dungeon-like underground vaults similar to the Bavarian beer cellars. For twelve hours or more the poles of macaroni are kept in these damp places, until the dough has become moist and pliable again and the strings have lost the brittleness that the exposure to the sunlight has given them. From the cellars the poles are carried to shaded storehouses, open on all sides to the air but not lighted from above. Here, in great masses of millions of strings, they hang for several days — from eight to twenty being required, depending upon the dry- ness of the atmosphere. According to the statements of the manager of a factory this process of drying is necessary to give to the brittle paste a horn like toughness and fit it to withstand the rough handling to which it will be subjected without breaking into small pieces. 12 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEBS. In all this simple process the one point at which bacteria might have a chance to play a role is in the first drying, cellaring, and subsequent slow drying in the shade. The theory that the water is responsible for the flavor must rest, it seems to the writer, on other than bac- terial grounds, for from the appearance of the tank which supplied the hot water the inference is easy that the water is chalybeate, for the tank was incrusted with lime. If, aside from the superiority of the macaroni of Gragnano, which is made from Taganrog wheat, a specially fine flavor is produced by the use of Saragolla grain, the growers of durum wheats in America deserve to have their attention called to this variety and be given an opportunity to test it on a reasonably large scale. The thin-skinned nature of the sort and its consequent greater semola-producing prop- erties maj^ not be maintained in all places in America, but regions may be found where these valuable qualities as well as the flavor are retained, and the wheat may prove, as it evidently does in Apulia, a profitable crop. Naples, Novemher 9, 1902. B. P. I.— .58. S. ?. I. D.— 35. III.-PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES FROM SOUTH AFRICA." By David G. Faiechild, Agricultural Explorer. INTRODUCTION. From the standpoint of an agricultural explorer South Africa is a land of newly introduced plants. Compared with old civilized coun- tries, like Egypt and Japan, it is poor in cultivated species that are suitable for introduction into America. Its native flora is rich, but the number of economic plants is small and the most important of these have been brought into Africa in comparatively recent times. Only one who has been bewildered by the hosts of cultivated native plants of the Malay Archipelago can f ullj^ realize the dearth of food plants of South Africa. The explanation is simple. The Kafirs and Hottentots were, like our American Indians, races of hunters, and lived mostly on the immense herds of game which roamed over the vast areas of grass land on the South African veldt. As these herds of antelope and other game diminished in numbers or disappeared the natives became stock raisers and counted their wealth by the number of cattle they owned. The cultivation of the soil, which in such lancte as Java or Japan was the chief occupation of the people, played a small r61e among the blacks of Cape Colony, and in consequence few wild plants were brought into cultivation, and the staple food plants of other races, when introduced late in the history of the country, were accepted by the Kafirs and grown in a careless, slovenlj' manner. The mealies of the country are the maize plants from America. Cassava is the West Indian manihot, Kafir corn is the " Dura" of the Arabs, « Several South African wild plants have already found their way into cultivation as valuable ornamentals, but, as Mr. Fairchild has pointed out in the present Bulle- tin, the South African flora is poor in economic species. There are some, however, that may prove valuable additions to the forage resources of our Southwest, and the grapes and the pineapples described will certainly be worth a careful trial. The plants and seeds sent through the kindness of Mr. Lathrop have been dis- tributed in such a manner that we shall be able to watch the growth of these plants in the United States. — A. J. Pietees, Botanist in Charge of Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribution, Washington, D. C, May 8, 1903. 13 14 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. and rice and potatoes were practically unknown among their cultivated plants. It is no wonder that a country in which the natives have neglected their indigenous fruits and grains, and in whose footsteps the early white settlers followed, should prove a land poor in cultivated plants that are worthy of introduction into the New World. A few things have, however, been called to the writer's attention during a stay of some weeks in the country, and these have seemed worthy of writing about for the information of American cultivators. SOME CAPE SEEDLING GRAPE VARIETIES. It were strange if in so old and isolated a vine region as South Africa seedling varieties of the grape had not originated. Mr. Eustace Pillans, at present in charge of the Government Wine Farm at Constantia, has called the writer's attention to three varieties which are either known to be Cape seedlings or are of doubtful Cape origin, and the department of agriculture of the colony has, with that liberality which characterizes it, offered to send in July next a quantity of cuttings of each to America. THE KED HANEPOOT GRAPE. The Red Hanepoot, which ranks as one of the best export table grapes from South Africa, and which is called by the late Mr. De Waal, vine expert of the Cape government, the Red Muscat of Alex- andria, is described as a variety with large, loose bunches, a large oval berry, which is dark red when ripe and has a sweet and musky flavor. It requires a lime and clay subsoil, and its fruit ripens in the middle of the grape season. The origin of the Red Hanepoot, I am told, is not known, but it is believed to be a seedling of the White Muscat, called at the Cape White Hanepoot, and Mr. Bioletti, wine expert at the Elsenburg Agricultural School, who was formerly connected with the California Experiment Station, assures me that it is probably of Cape origin, and so far as he knows is not grown anywhere in California. Its good shipping qualities and its excellence as a table grape will, Mr. Bioletti thinks, give it a place beside the Flame Tokay, from which it differs in its decided musky flavor. Its excellent eating qualities Mr. Lathrop and the writer had an opportunity of testing, and there can be no doubt of its desirability for Californian vineyards. Like the other Muscat varieties, it is difficult to graft successfully upon resistant American stocks, and at the Cape it has succeeded best upon a seed- ling variety of Vitis rup&itris called "Ze Haux," which is likewise of South African origin. PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES. 15 VITIS RUPE8TKIS METALLICA. Vitis rupestris metallica is the name given by the late Mr. De Waal to a resistant stock grown from American seed on the Government Wine Farm at Constantia. This is quite distinct, Mr. Bioletti says, from a French varietj^ bearing the same name, and is another of the Cape productions which is worthy of the attention of California vine- yardists. It was a chance seedling, like the Riparia Gloire de Mont- pellier stock so universally used, according to De Waal, in the Medoc vine region of France. Iii the Agricultural Journal for December, 1901, Mr. De Waal published the following statement in reference to the origin of this interesting variety, which is, according to Mr. Pillans, taking the lead all over the colony as a grafting stock for wine grapes: RUPESTRIS METALLICA. This variety is derived from one seedling stock selected at Groot Constantia from amongst thousands. It was picked out in the year 1894, and new stocks were multi- plied as fast as possible by the single-bud or one-eye system of propagation. In 1896 a mother plantation of 3,500 vines was laid out. The combined plantations have this year (1901) given a return of 687,000 cuttings, exclusive of several cartloads of thin ends. As many other mother plantations of this variety have, during the past few years, been laid out in the Constantia and other districts, the old mother stock, selected in 1894, must this year have given rise to an output of several millions of cuttings. The Rupestris Metallica is a strong grower and will thrive well in any loose soil, loam, gravel, or sand, and also in dry, open, heavy soils; it can besides stand a fair amount of wet in loose soils. It forms an excellent graft bearer for all varieties of European vines, except the Hanepoot, and, possibly also, other members of the Muscat family. A large percentage of Hanepoot grafts will die back on it even after a very successful start, and as a stock for Muscat Hambourg its suitability is also doubted. It appears to answer fairly well as a graft bearer for Muscadel, but sufficient experience on this point has not yet been gained to recommend it unre- servedly as a stock for that variety. The latest verdict regarding this Metallica stock from Mr. C. Mayer, who has not been an enthusiastic believer in it, is that it is suitable for dry, light sandy soils, but not for heavy ones. It is remarkable for the ease with which the cuttings root and can be grafted upon. The proportion of failures among grafts upon this stock is said to be remarkably small, and when millions of grafts are concerned this item is an important one. The vigorous nature of the Metallica is claimed by Mr. Pillans to impart to the graft a very remarkable productiveness, and certainly when compared at Groot Constantia with the same varieties grafted on other American stalks of French origin, the load of fruit on the metallica vines this season bore out Mr. Pillans's belief. Considei'ed from the standpoint, then, of a quick-rooting, easy-grafting, vigorous stock, which produces good bearing vines, the Vitis rupestris metallica is well worth an extensive trial in California. 16 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. VITIS EUPESTRIS LE ROTJX. The Muscat varieties of table grapes, which are among the best, do not generally thrive well when grafted on American phylloxera-resist- ant stocks, and vineyardists in California are, according to Mr. Bioletti, looking for a better variety of stock than those already in use. In Cape Colony, two of the best table grapes, the White and Red Hanepoot sorts, are of the Muscat type, and in replanting the vine- yards with resistant stocks, the ordinary Riparia and Rupestris varieties have proven uncongenial to these Muscat kinds. In March, 1899, the Cape department of agriculture appointed a commission to investigate the causes of this failure of the Hanepoot grafts on American vines. In their printed report members of this commission call attention to the Le Roux, a seedling variety of American parentage which originated in the Cape and which has proved a successful stock for the Hanepoot variety of Muscat grape, of which there are six-year-old plants growing in the colony. This Le Roux grape is named after Mr. Le Roux, of Drakenstein, upon whose place the seedling was raised and first propagated. Such a stock which, although not yet thoroughly tested, promises to be well suited for Muscat varieties, deserves the attention of our vine growers. FBTTIT-BEABING HEDGE PLANTS. The finest hedges in Natal are the evergreen amatungulas, which are made from the white-flowered, red-fruited Carissa grandiflora, a native of the colony. It is rare to find a fruit-bearing hedge, and of all those which the writer has seen the amatungulas are the most desirable. The genus Carissa contains a number of thorny, evergreen shrubs which bear pretty white flowers and edible red fruit. On the markets in Durban the long, brilliant red fruit of the ama- tungulas is commonly sold; in fact, during January and February it is one of the commonest fruits to be seen in the stalls. Though variable in size and shape, it has generally an elongated form, with a distinct point, and the diameter of a good-sized Damson plum. The thin, red skin covers a pink flesh with a milky juice, which in flavor is sweet but lacks character, although much praised by European residents for use in making fruit salads. To make an amatungula hedge, Mr. I. Medley Wood, the curator of the Durban botanic gardens, informs me, is a very simple matter. The seeds are sown in a seed bed, and when the young plants are 6 inches high they are transplanted to the place chosen for the hedge and set a foot apart, alternately in parallel rows, distant from one another a foot or more. As the plants grow they are trimmed into the desired hedge form, and the oftener they are trimmed the thickei- PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES. 17 th^j interweave their toug-h, thornj' branches, making an impenetrable barrier for stock of all kinds. "When in flower the white, jasmine- lilve blossoiMs show otif strikingly against the dark background of foli- age; and the red fruit which follows is quite as prettj'. It is an interesting sight to see the children hunting up and down the hedges about the city houses for the ripe amatungulas, with which they fill their aprons. A nearly related species of ('arissa (C. arduina DC.) is one of the prettiest shrubs in the municipal gardens in Cape Town. Its sym- metrical form and dark-green leaves and branches make it well worth a place on the lawn of any subtropical park, while its pendant red fruits, which look like large barberries, make a showy contrast to the dark background. These fruits, like the amatungulas, are filled with a milky-juiced flesh, and are not unpleasant to the taste, although thej^ have no sprightliuess of flavor. Whether or not the genus has in it sufficient material from which, by breeding, a new superlative fruit plant can be produced, which at the same time will make good hedges, is a question for experiment. RHODES GRASS. At Groot Schur, Mr. Cecil Rhodes's estate, near Cape Town, there are several large grass fields of a species of chloris {C. virgata Sw.) grown from seed which Mr. Rhodes had collected in the eastern prov- inces of Cape Colony some j^ears ago. Although, according to Pro- fessor MacOwan, the plant occurs commouh' in the subtropical zone in other continents, from the fact that it was first brought into culture in South Africa bj' so noted a man as Mr. Rhodes it has been given the name of Rhodes grass. Like other species of the same genus, this one sends out long, creep- ing stems, which lie flat on the ground, and from these the finger-like inflorescences arise. These stems Ij'iug on the ground are tough and hard and are likely to be of little food value, but the mass of leaves which is produced above them on good soil attains, it is said, a foot or more in height and has excellent feeding properties. It does not seem likely that this species will prove more resistant to drought than manj' other grasses, for on the slopes of Table Mountain a patch was pointed out which was evidentl}' not a success, and the only explanation for the failure was that the ground there was too dry. However, the planters to whom the steward of the estate has distrib- uted seed have found the grass a valuable fodder plant, and there is such a local demand for the seed that a single sack was all that could be secured for trial in America. This quantity was given after appli- cation to the Chartered South African Company and to the steward of Groot Schur. 27609— No. 25—03 2 18 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. THE KAFIR PLUM AS A SHADE TREE. Professor MacOwaii, whose writings on South African plants are so well known, showed the writer a row of Kafir plum trees which, by his advice, were planted in the grounds of the Parliament building- at Cape Town. Pie pointed out that, owing to the situation of the adjoin- ing houses, they were subjected to the most violent cross winds, and that ordinary trees which had been tried there were unable to keep their shape. A "southeaster" which came up before leaving Cape Town permitted the writer to see how these trees were whipped and beaten about with the winds from Table Mountain. It is truly remarkable how well they bear the rough treatment. The evergreen foliage of this interesting tree is dense and dark, and casts a deep shade, whicli in sunnj- climates is always a desirable character. Its gray trunk and upright branches produce a graceful vase form, while its bright red plum-like fruits show off in pretty contrast against the dark background of leaves. These plums are nearlj^ all seed, only a thin layer of subacid pulp lying between the stone and the thin red skin, and though the}^ are of sufBcient sweetness to be attractive to children, thej' would find no use in our American households. The species is a tender one and could onlj^ succeed in the frostless regions of the country, but its characters as a shade or avenue tree should win for it a place among the ornamentals of the subti'opical zone. According to the conservator of forests of Cape Colony, Mr. D. E. Hutchins, the Kafir plum is a large timber tree of the eastern prov- inces and produces a useful wood that is almost indistinguishable fi'om mahoganjr, and which, like the latter, requires careful seasoning. THE ROOI-BLOEM, A NEW CORN PARASITE. Plant introduction concerns itself with calling to f)ublic notice plants which should not be introduced as well as those that are eligible for cultivation. Professor MacOwan handed the writer the letters which are here reproduced, and which call attention in a forcible waj^ to a parasite of the Indian corn plant which might prove a great pest if once intro- duced into our corn belt. The plant has caused damage among the mealies (Indian corn) in Natal, and the Government entomologist, Mr. Fuller, has published in his reports notices of its ravages. While it appears to cause the most injury in poorlj^ cultivated ground, and, in the opinion of Mr. Fuller, requires only clean culture to get rid of it, it is no doubt a pest that American corn growers should beware of introducing. The danger of its introduction seems quite remote, since no grain is imported from South Africa to America, but still it would be well to guard against anj' chance of its being introduced. PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES. 19 Transvaal DErARXMEXT op Agriculture, Government Bi'ildings, Pretoria, February S4, 1903. Sir: I am sending you per same post a box containing a weed forwarded to me for identification. As we are at present witliout a botanist, I trust you will kindly help me in the matter. * * * For your fuller information I inclose the letter which accompanied the specimen. I have the honor to be, sir, your iiliedient servant, R. A. Davis. Professor MacOwan, Cape Tinm. [Inolosure.] Sandbach, Amsterdam P. 0., February 15, 1903. Sir: I am sending you by this post a box containing a weed which is very preva- lent on this farm. The Dutch call it " Roo'i-bloem." When it appears among mealies it immediately kills the mealies. I have a field of over 40 acres which had a first- class crop of mealies three weeks ago; since then this " Rooi-bloem" has appeared, and I am ctoubtful if I shall get five bags off the whole field. The Dutch say there is no cure for it, and nothing can be done to eradicate it; but I can not find out whether anything has lieeu tried. Will you be good enough to inquire if any known cure exists? It is said that " Rjol-bloeni " only affects mealies. I have been trying to get oats for sowing in April, but can not get any "Africander" oats. Yours, faithfully, G. S. Leslie. Secuktarv Land Board, Pretoria. Cape Government Herbarium, Cape Town, February 28, 1903. My dear Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of the 24th instant respecting a weed doing mischief in mealie crops, and of the sample belonging thereto. The plant is a semiparasite, Slrlga cocdnea Bth., and is not infrequent on our eastern frontier. Its haljits resemble those of Rhinanthus criUa-galli L., the "yellow rattle," and Melarnpyrum pratense L., in that it is able to live easily on its own roots like other normal plants, but also to attach itself to those of more succulent neigh- bors and draw surreptitiously upon their food material. It will work when it must, but prefers the easier life of a predatory parasitism. As to extirpation of this showy interloper, advise your correspondent to give vip for the present the culture of cereals upon the acreage infested with Slriya, so that the parasite shall find no host to receive it, and perseveringly plow and cross plow, following with the harrow to get the weeds into heaps for drying and burn- ing. A crop of totally different character, such as lucerne, for instance, would be best. But if local conditions do not allow of this, a double cropping with rape, to be grown on till fit for stock food, fed off, and then turned in to make way for the second crop suggests itself. The object is to give no chance to the Siriga to renew its parasitism. The seed of the Striga is small and tenacious of life, hence the repeated working of the soil is important. Also it would be well to use kraal manure in place of stable dung. It is astonishing what a number of weed seeds pass through the intestinal tract of the horse, and since we very rarely keep his contribution to the fertility of the farm long enough to insure their lieing killed out by a proper rotting down, we innocently sow a crop of weeds along with the manure. This is the secret of the spread of "zuuring" far and wide. 20 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. Will you hereafter let me know what is decided on and what the results amount to ? I will consult our recently arrived agricultural assistant, and will let you know sharp whether he has anything different to recommend. Eemainins, mv dear sir, vours, faithfully, P. :MacOwax. E. A. Davis, Esq., Pretoria. THE NATAL PINEAPPLE. The common pineapple of ISatal, which i;> served everywhere in the colony on private and hotel tables, is one of the most satisfactory varieties of this fruit in the world. Mr. Lathrop, who has traveled for many years in pineapple-growing countries, found the Natal pine one of the most delicious and in cer- tain respects the most satisfactory of anj- which he had ever eaten. This varietj^ is a small one, the fruit often not being- over 6 inches long, but this is one of its desirable characters. It is just large enough to serve as an individual fruit at a diiiner table, and the result is that in Natal one is given a whole pineapple and prepares it himself, instead of a slice from a fruit that has been prepared in the kitchen and in which fermentation has already set in. The form of this fruit is in all ways satisfactory. It has a small cluster of leaves at the apex, just large enough to serve as a good handle when you are preparing it for eating. The seed cavities are small and do not enter a great distance into the fruit. The skin is thin and easilj" cut off with a sharp knife. The flesh, which has a golden-yellow color when ripe, is so crisp and brittle that you can break it awaj' from the slender core with a fork almost as easily as you could tear an apple to pieces. Many pines having a deliciously fla^•ored flesh are so tough and full of fiber that it is only with diffi- culty that portions can be separated from the core for eating. This character of tender, fiberless flesh is possessed b}' the Natal pine to a ver}' marked degree, and especiall}' recommends it to people whose delicate digestion prohibits their eating the ordinary sorts, which con- tain more or less fibrous matter. As regards flavor this variety leaves little to be desired. It has the characteristic pineapple taste, is deliciously sweet, and compares in these characters very favorably with the best hothouse pines. It may not be quite so juicy as the latter, but this character can scarcely be considered an objection to it. No pine that has come to our attention has so little core to it as this Natal sort. Some fruits have scarceh* any core, the pencil-thick cen- ter part itself being tender enough to eat, and as a rule the core spin- dle which one discards in eating is not over a half inch in diameter. According to those with whom the writer talked the origin of this Natal pine is not known, though it has been in cultivation many years in the colony. Some time ago the Government, under the impression PLANT INTRODUCTION NOTES. 21 that foreign varieties -were better than their own, introduced suckers of the Ceylon and other hirger fruited sorts for trial. These intro- ductions have produced no effect upon the cultivation of this native sort, I am informed, and the "common pine" is still the great market variety of South Africa. This Natal varietj- is so remarkable that suckers for introduction into America would have been secured had not man}- of the fruits seen in the markets and on the hotel tables Ijeen affected with what appears to be a disease; and although the contagious character of this malady or even its detei'raination as of fungus or bacterial origin could not be decided, it was deemed best to take no chances of introducing it into our pineapple plantations. The fruits affected by this disease have generally soft spots on them near the base, which, when cut into, are found to reach some distance into the flesh. The small cavities characteristic of the outer part of the pine are in these affected areas of a peculiar white color. This appearance resembles somewhat that produced bj- a felt of very fine fungous mycelium, but with a high-power hand lens no mycelial fila- ments could be detected. The same white color is also often produced in fruit flesh b}' the drying out of the juicy cells, and I am inclined to think that empty air-filled cells are the cause of the snowy-white appearance in this case. The flesh about the diseased areas is soft and juicy, but in none of the fruits examined was there any dark discolora- tion such as characterizes the pineapple disease described from Queens- land and which is reported to be caused by the conidial, Fusarium-like form of some Ascomj'cete. This Natal maladj' does not agree with the description of the Queensland disease, and, if it proves to be a fungous disease at all, will probably be found to be caused by some new species of fungus. A pine which is probably identical with this Natal variety' is grown extensivel}' in the eastern provinces of Cape Colony. It is there culti- vated on the hillsides at a considerable altitude and not on the level plains, and it is grown in such quantities that the markets ever3^where are overstocked with it. Pineapples are the cheapest fruit in South Africa. Some of these eastern province pineapples were sent for by the Cape department of agriculture in order that we might compare them with the Natal varietj'. These, although not quite so luscious as those eaten in Natal, were evidently the same sort, and the very slight inferiorit}^ in flavor might be easih' explained bj^ the fact that the eastern-province fruits were picked before becoming quite ripe in order to ship well, while the Natal ones came more directly from the fields. Through the department of agriculture a number of suckers of this eastern-province pineapple were ordered after it was ascertained that 22 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. the disease which affected the Natal fruits was unknown there. These were to be sent from perfectly healthy plantations" and are unques- tionabl}' safe for introduction; but in order to make doubly sure of not introducing anj' pernicious pests, the introduced suckers will be grown apart from the commercial plantations and carefull}' watched. ^According to Mr. Malley, the Assistant Cape Entomologist, there are, in the east- ern provinces, plantations in which pines do not grow well and some situations where pineapple growing has had to be abandoned. AVhether any specific disease is the cause of this or not is a disputed question. A careful examination on his part failed to reveal any cause, and it seems m(jst likely that unsuitable physical condi- tiona will account for the failure of the fruit in these situations. B. P. I.— S9. S. P. I. D— 36. I\'. CONGRESSIONAL SHHD AND PLANT CIRCULARS, lflO-2-1903/' DISTRIBUTION [Circular sent tn Senators. Members, and J)olegates in Congress.] PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION AND ALLOTMENTS OF CONGRESSIONAL SEEDS AND PLANTS, 1902-1903. Some changes in the plan of conducting the Congressional distribu- tion of seeds, plants, bulbs, etc., during the fiscal year 1902-1903 have been approved by the Honorable Secretarj^ of Agriculture, and in order to aid j'ou in preparing addressed franlvs your attention is respectfully called to the changes .set forth below. Fig. 4. — irap showing the districts into which the United States has been divided for seed distribution purposes. Division of the country. — With a view of handling the seed to bet- ter advantage the country has been divided into six districts, and varieties of .seeds and plants particularlj^ adapted to each district will "This i^ublication consi.sts of a number of circulars prepared by different members of the scientific force of the Bureau of Plant Industry and one prepared by the Chief of the Bureau of Soils. These circulars were originally printed to accompany the seeds sent out through the Congressional distribution and consist of descriptions of varieties and directions for their culture. Many of these contain txiatter that should form part of the permanent records of the Department, and they have therefore been collected for publication in this form. — A. .1. Pieters, Botanist in Charge of Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribution, Wasliinr/ton, D. C, May 13, 1903. 23 24 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. be distributed therein. The accompanying small map shows the man- ner in which the divisions have been made. Yegetable seeds. — There will be, as usual, a distribution of miscella- neous vegetable seeds, and in addition it is planned to furnish a limited number of packages of novelties — that is, seeds of varieties either new or little known and of peculiar merit for distribution in each locality. The miscellaneous vegetable seeds will be put up as usual. 5 packets in a package, and each Senator, Member, and Delegate in Congress will have 12,000 such packages to his credit. There will be 500 packages containing the novelties, each package containing 5 packets. The novelties will be accompanied \)j a circulai- describing the vai'ie- ties in full and giving directions for culture and use. There will also be a franked postal card for each collection of the novelties, so that the recipient maj', if he desires, signify his willingness to make a report to the Department on the seeds received. Floxoer seeds. — The number of packages of flower seeds allotted to each Senator, Member, and Delegate in Congress has been increased to 500, and arrangements have been made whereby members having city constituents may exchange vegetable seeds for flower seeds, if they so desire. Details of this arrangement will be furnished later. A special collection of flower seeds will be prepared for those having strictly city constituents, the varieties chosen being suitable for win- dow boxes, lots, and small dooryards. Cotton and tobacco. — The plan adopted last year of putting up special collections of cotton and tobacco best adapted to the districts into which they are sent will be continued. This work has proved very satisfactory, as through it many valuable varieties have been distributed. Grass seed and forage crops. — Plans for the distribution of these seeds have not yet been fully matured, and a later announcement will therefore be sent out as soon as complete arrangements are perfected. Plants, trees, and grapevines. — The distribution of plants, trees, and grapevines will be similar to that of last year, excepting that the number of trees will be increased to 100 for each Senator, Member, and Delegate. Full information as to the character of the trees, plants, etc., will be forwarded later. Bulbs. — These will be ready for distribution early in November, and they should be distributed prompth' in order to secure the best results. Due notice will be forwarded when the bulbs are received. Loose pacliets of vegetable seed. — In order to enable Senators, ^I em- bers, and Delegates to quicklj' meet small miscellaneous demands for vegetable seed, loose packets of the assoi'tments put up for general distribution will be sent to committee rooms, or elsewhere in Wash- ington, upon receipt of proper orders. Envelopes for forwarding these packets through the mails will also be furnished. This plan will make it practicable to send out packages containing more than five SEED AND PLANT DISTKIBUTIOJST. 25 packets, if it is desired to do so. In no case, liowever, can tlie Depart- ment put up such pacliets, as the larg-e number of packages to be distributed makes it necessary to use uniform numbers. Franhfi. — The present session of Congress authorized the Public Printer to furnish the Secretary of Agriculture with the franks of Senators and Members necessary' for sending out the seeds. Arrange- ments have therefore been made for securing franks with the facsimile signatures of Senators and Members, together with their respective States, printed thereon. These franks will be furnished at once, in sufficient qiiantitj^ for vegetable and flower seeds, upon request made to the Secretarj' of Agriculture. With this arrangement there will be no necessity for using document slips, and all of those made for the seed work will be of uniform size and style. Southern distribution. — It is planned to make the distribution in sections 1 and 2 at an earlier date than heretofore, and to this end arrangements have been made to begin the work in September. In order to do this, members from these sections are eai'nestly requested to turn in their addressed slijjs as early as possible. The following statement shows the amounts of seeds, bulbs, plants, and trees, so far as the allotments have been made, for the liscal year 1902-3. Each Senator, Member, and Delegate will receive: Vegetable seed, 12,000 packages, 5 papers each. Novelties, vegetable seed, 500 packages, 5 papers each. Flower seed, 500 packages, 5 papers each. Tobacco seed, 110 packages, 5 papers each, to districts growing tobacco. Cotton seed, 70 packages, 1 peck each, to districts growing cotton. Lawn grass seed, 30 packages. Forage crop seed, allotment not yet made. Sorghum seed, allotment not yet made. Sugar-beet seed, allotment not yet made. Bulbs, 10 boxes, 35 bulbs each; or 20 boxes, 17 bulbs each. Graj)evines, 8 packages, 5 vines each. Strawberry plants, 10 packages, 15 plants each. Trees, 20 packages, 5 trees each. Note. — One frank will be required for each package given above, and if more than one package is to be sent to one individual it will be necessary to have an addressed frank for each package. The smallest mail sacks used hold approximatel}' 100 packages of vegetable or flower seed, and if it is desired to send less than this number to any one individual it will be necessary, in order to meet the post-office requirements, to have an addressed frank for each package. Over 100 packages, however, may be sent under one addressed frank, provided blank facsimile slips, to the number of packages desired, 26 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. accompany the address. In other words, if it is desii-ed to send 200 packages of seed to one individual, one addi'essed frank and 199 blank franks, with the name of the Senator, Member, or Delegate printed thereon, will answer. In sending addressed slijjs to the DeiMrtment, pleci^e, in every case, plainly mark each lot v.iith the name of the seeds or plants the slips are to cover, othervnse the Department will ie unable to tell what is wanted. Respectfully submitted. B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. Approved: James Wilson, Secretary. Washingtox, D. C, May '28, 1902. [Circular sent to recipients of seeds of novelties and specialties included in Section 1 of the scheme of distribution.] DISTRIBUTION OF NOVELTIES AND SPECIALTIES. SECTION 1. The varieties included in this special disti'ibution are either new or are not as well known as they should be. The seeds are sent out this year, accompanied by full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will report the results of their trial to the Department. In making the report, j)lease use the blanks accompauj'ing this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. CORN. Trucker's Favorite. A variety of field white dent corn, introduced in 1899 by T. W. Wood & Sons, which is recommended \>^ them for table use. It has found some favor as a substitute for sweet corn, but the quality is poor and decidedly inferior to varieties of sweet corn, though much better than the ordinarj^ varieties of field corn. It possesses the advan- tage over sweet corn in that it can be planted earlier, is hardier, and can be grown successfully sometimes where sweet corn does not grow well. In these respects it resembles the Early Adams or Burlington field corn, which is used so largely as sweet corn, but difi'ers from it principally in being larger eared and later. It is second early in season and follows immediately after Early Adams. The habit of the plant is the .same as field corn, and the ears are 14-rowed and hand- some. More especially adapted for large truckers than for home gardeners to whom quality is more of a consideration than hardiness. Seed furnished bv T. W. Wood & Sons, Richmond, Va. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 27 BEET. Crimson Globe. An entirely distinct variety introduced in 1900 by Peter Henderson & Co. " Different from other kindis principally in its deep dark crimson color, and valuable on this account as well as for earliness, beautiful globe shape, and perfectlj' smooth roots, which are entirely free from I'oot hairs, rootlets, and markings. The taproot is also very fine and slender and the top very smooth, with small crown. The roots are, however, very small, but, the leaves being also small and very erect in habit, the plants can be grown very close togethei' and large crops obtained. The leaves are dark green in color. The flesh is a deep crimson and beautifully zoned with dark crimson and a lighter shade; the quality is verj^ sweet and tender, never coarse nor woody. The season is about the same as Detroit Dark Red. Seed furnished by T. \V. Wood & Sons, Richmond. Va. LETTUCE. Wood'.s Cabbage. This appears to be a strain of the well-known Hubbard's Market and was named and introduced in 1884 by T. W. Wood & Sons, of Rich- mond, Va. This is not at all a new variety or even a distinct sort, but is deserving of attention as an especially pure and even stock of Hub- bard's Market, from which it was probablj^ de^'eloped. The plant is medium early, medium large, thick-leaved, very solid and compact, strictly cabbage-heading in habit, and medium dark solid green in color. It is a good all-round variety, answering splendidly for both forcing under glass and growing outdoors either in early spring or midsummer. The quality is verj' fine, being tender and sweet and of a slightly buttery flavoi. The plants are hardy and slow to go to seed. Seed f urnislied by T. W. Wood & Sons, Richmond, Va. SQUASH. AVood's Earliest Pkolific. Originated with market gardeners in Hanover County, Va., and introduced by T. W. Wood & Sons in 1897. It is .similar in all respects to the well-known White Bush Scallop, but is said by the originators to be a week to ten days earlier and with scallops not quite so decided and more evenly rounded on the edge. This variety is a t3'pe of the summer squash seen everywhere very earl}' in our markets, and known as cvmling in some places and jjatty- pan in others. The plants are strictly bush in habit and the fruits 28 MISCELLANEOUS VAPEES. flattish and round in shape, with center enlarged and margins flattened and scalloped. In color the fruits are a creamj- white, the surface is verj" smooth, and the rind is exceedingly hard when the fruit is dead ripe. This is the earliest squash obtainalile, and though of good quality it is not equal to the winter varieties which are not obtainable till much later in the season. Seed furnished by T. W. Wood ct Sons, Richmond, Va. TOMATO. Spakks's Earliana. Originated by George C. Sparks, of Philadelphia, and introduced in 1900 by Johnson & Stokes of the same city. This variety is unquestionably an improvement in extra earl}' toma- toes. While it is just as early as Atlantic Prize and similar sorts, which have formerly held the lead for smooth early tomatoes, it is an improvement on them in smoothness and size, qualities which are gen- erally gained at the expense of earliness. The fruits are the same bright red color and flattened globe shape as Atlantic Prize, but they are a little larger in size and a considerably larger per cent of them are smooth and salable in the best markets. The vines have fine foliage, are very open in habit, productive, and require but a short time to mature the season's crop. Seed furnished by T. W. Wood & Sons, Kichmond, Va. A. J. PiETERS, Botcmist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. [Circular sent to recipients of seeds of novelties and specialties included in Section 2 of the schenie of distribution.] SECTION 2. The varieties included in this special distribution are either new or are not as well known as the}^ should be. The seeds are sent out this year, accompanied by full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will report the results of their trial to the Department. In making the rejjort, please use the blanks accompa- nying this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. BEAN. Jones's Stringless Wax. Originated bj^ A. N. Jones, of Leroy, N. Y., and introduced by American seedsmen in ] 898. It is the result of crossing the Yosemite Wax with a white-seeded cross of the Ivory Pod Wax, and combines the superlative quality and flesh}', absolutel}' stringless pods of the former with the great productiveness and hiirdiness of the latter. The SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 29 "shy" bearing- and ill-shaped pods of the Yosemite are eliminated, while the seeds being white makes it especiallj^ valuable to market gardeners who wish to use it as a shell beau, in case the marketing of string beans proves unprofitable. The pods are very beautiful, of a waxy white color, cylindrical in shape, and of medium size. The plants are veiy earl}', very dwarf in habit, and run remarkably even and pure. This variety is similar to the recently introduced Golden Crown Stringless, and also to the old and well-known Challenge Black Wax, from which it differs principalh' in color of seed and larger vine. Seed furnislied by D. M. Ferry & Co., Detroit, Mich. ONION. Southern Grown Yellow Globe Danvees. This seed is said by the grower to be specially adapted for the Southern States, and to make better bulbs when planted in the South than seed grown in California even or other sections of the countr}'. Thevariety is the old and well-known 3'ellow sort, grown so much more extensively than any other and seen everywhere in our markets. It is deeper in shape than the Yellow Danvers or Flat Danvers, but otherwise is the same. The bulbs are a flat globe shape, of medium size, intermediate in season, medium j^ellow in color, and of a mild flavor. The varietj^ is hardy, productive, a good keeper, and a good general purpose sort. Seed furnished by T. W. Wood & Sons, Richmond, Va. MUSKMELON. EocKY Ford. This varietj' is a strain of the old and well-known Netted Gem, and has been recentlj^ developed and grown in immense quantities at Roclij' Ford, Colo., whence it has been shipped extensively to all the eastern and northern markets. The varietj' has been made extremely popular by the Rocky Ford growers, as much on account of the careful ship- ping the}' have practiced as for the fine melons thej' have been able to produce in their ideal melon-growing country. The development of the variet}' is obscure and disputed. It was first introduced by seeds- men in 1899. The melon is very earl}' and productive, and the fruit is oval shaped, shallow ribbed, densely netted, small in size, and mottled green and yellow in color. The flesh is green, of the very best quality, and, though not as rich as some others, is not surpassed in sweetness by any, while it is uniformly good and moi'e univei'sally liked than any other. Thi.s seed was carefully selected by D. V. Burrill, of Rocliy Ford, Colo., from melons of uniform size that were ideal in every particular. 30 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. T05IAT0. Quarter Cextdey. Originated in Monmouth County, N. J., in 1896 by Dr. William Van Fleet, and introduced in 1900 in trial packets by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. In the following year it was named Quarter Centurj'. It appeared as a sport in the third generation from a cross between Lorillard, a bright scarlet fruit of the ordinary type of foliage, and Dwarf Cham- pion, a purplish-red fruit of dwarf habit. The variety is unquestionably, as claimed by the introducer, a valu- able one, and larger in vine, more i^roductive, and larger fruited than Dwarf Champion, which is the recognized standard dwarf varietv. It differs also in being a bright scarlet instead of purplish red. The fruits are medium large, very deep or nearly round in shape, perfectly smooth, and of high quality. It is most like Dwarf Aristocrat and Dwarf Stone, but much larger fruited than the former and not quite so deep scarlet in color as the latter. It is claimed to be more dwarf, compact, and erect in habit than anj^ other bush varietj'. It can be planted as close as 2i feet apart each waj^ Seed furnished by T, W. Wood & Sons. Richmond. Va. RADISH. White Icicle. Originated by a German grower several years previous to its intro- duction into this countrj' in 1899 b^- J. M. Thorburn & Co. This variety is a decided acquisition to our list of radishes. It is a long, pure white' sort, especiallj' superior to other kinds in its good size and length, combined with earliness and strikingly beautiful color, which is of a rich gloss}^ white, entireh' free from purple or j-ellow' tints, and veiy much the same clear white at the top as at the bottom. The stocks run veiy even in both color and shape, and in the latter respect are very beautiful and different from other long sorts, in retain- ing their fullness to the bottom. The roots are of the veiy highest quality and rich, tender, and sweet. The plants remain fit for use fairly long before shooting to seed. Seed furnished by T. W. Wood .fc Sous, Richmond. Va. A. J. PiETEES, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. [Circular sent In recipients of seeds of novelties and specialties included in Section 3 of the scheme of distribution.] SECTION 3. The varieties included in this special distribution are either new or are not as well known as they should be. The seeds are sent out this 3^ear, accompanied bj- full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 31 that those who receive them will i-eport the results of their trial to the Department. In making the report, please use the blanks accompany- ing this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. MUSTARD. Ostrich Plume. Originated in Augusta, Ga., and introduced in 1S9T liy the N. L. Willet Drug Company of the same city. It is claimed bj^ the introducer to be the most beautiful and perfect mustard in cultivation, and as pi'etty as an ornamental plant. It is described as a large plant, often weighing as much as 5 or 6 pounds, and with tender plumes, verj^ long and finely crimped. Seed furnished by F. Barteldes & Co., Lnwrenee, Ivans. BEANS. Wood's E.\ri,iest H.\udiest. Introduced by T. W. Wood & Sons in 1893, and said l)j' them to resemble the well-known Early Mohawk. The claims for this variet}^ made by the introducers are extreme earliness and hardiness, great productiveness, and fine quality'. It is said to excel in these qualities any variety in cultivation; to be able to stand a light frost without injuiy, and to stand early planting bet- ter than an J' other variety; also on account of its productiveness to be suitable for a main crop or for late planting. The pods are extremelj^ tender and make good snaps, and the dry beans are suit- able for winter use as shell beans. The pods are described as very large, long, and flat, and the seeds as white in color. Seed furnished by T. \V. Wood tfe Sons. Richmond, Va. LETTUCE. All Se.-vsoss. A very desirable variety introduced in 1897 by J. C. Vaughan, of Chicago, 111., but it seems never to have gained any genei-al recogni- tion. Excepting that the seed is black instead of white, it might very generally pass as identical with the well-known Deacon, but it differs from that variety in a number of pai'ticulars, the most important of which are its slightly larger size, later season, and rounder head. Where Deacon is liked this variety should be tried, for under some conditions it grows better than the Deacon, though generally it is not so sure a header. All Seasons is a large, thick-headed, rather soft, but strictl}^ cabbage- heading variety, light green in color, and medium late in season. The quality is very fine, of a soft texture and buttery flavor, and 32 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEKS. though it can hardly be said to be strictly delicate in flavor, it is abso- lutelj' free from coarseness or bitterness. Seed furnished by Vaughan's Seed Store, Chicago, 111. MUSKMELON. EocKY Ford. This yarietj' is a strain of the old and well-known Netted Gem, and has been recently developed and grown in immense quantities at Rocky Ford, Colo., whence it has been shipped extensively to all the eastern and northern markets. The variety has been made extremely popular by the Kockj^ Ford growers as much on account of the careful ship- ping they have practiced as for the fine melons they have been able to produce in their ideal melon-growing country. The development of the variety is obscure and disputed. It was first introduced by seedsmen in 1899. The melon is very early and productive, and the fruit oval shaped, shallow ribbed, densel}^ netted, small in size, and mottled green and 3'ellow in color. The flesh is green, of the very best quality', and, though not as rich as some others, is not surpassed in sweetness by any, while it is uniformly good and more universally liked than anj' other. This seed was carefully selected by D. V. Burrill, of Rocky Ford, Colo., from melons of uniform size that were ideal in every particular. WATERMELON. Eden. Originated by Mr. C. H. Mathis, of South Carolina, a large Southern melon grower, and introduced in 1900 bj' T. W. Wood & Sons. It is said by the introducers to be a cross of the Kolb's Gem and Rattle- snake. It very closel}^ resembles the former, but is superior to it in its larger size, brighter striping, and more sjmimetrical shape. . It also resembles the well-known Dixie and recently introduced Iceberg, but differs from them as well as from Kolb's Gem in the color of seeds, which are white instead of mottled grayish -black, as in these varieties. In what further respects, if any, it differs from Iceberg our trials have not yet fully demonstrated, but it is unquestionably shorter in shape than Dixie. The fruits are of mammoth size, short oval in shape, and brilliantly sti'iped light and dark green. The variety is especially valuable as a shipper, but for home use other varieties of better quality are recommended. The quality is fair, but compared to the finer- grained sorts, such as Peerless and Round Light, it is coarse, stringy, and lacks in .sweetness and richness. Seed furnished by T. S. Williams, Columbia, S. C. A. J. PiETERS, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 33 [Circular sent to recipients of seeds of novelties and specialties included in Section 4 of the scheme of distribution.] SECTION 4. The varieties included in this special distribution are either new or are not as well known as they should be. The seeds are sent out this year, accompanied by full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will report the results of their trial to the Department. In making- the report, please use the blanks accompany- ing this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which I'equires no postage. CORN. Cosmopolitan. Originated bv E. B. Clark & Co., seed growers of Milford, Conn., and introduced in 1901 b}^ W. Atlee Burpee & Co., of Philadelphia. This is an extra earlj' variety, of good qualitj- and fair-sized ear. It is not quite so early as Cory, First of All, and other first extra early varieties, but is of better qnalitv and the ears are larger. The kernels are wrinkled, very large, broad, flat, and short. Though not in the least flinty, the seed germinates very well, and can be sown earlier than the later and more wrinkled varieties. The ears are 10 and 12 rowed, very well filled, about the same diameter from end to end, and verj^ handsome. Seed furnished by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. LETTUCE. Iceberg. Originated in Italy, and first introduced into this country in 1894 by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Marblehead Mammoth, which was introduced the following year, is sometimes thought to be the same. Undoubt- edlj' stalks of the two are often interchanged, but the true Marblehead Mammoth is more crumpled in leaf and less heading in habit than Iceberg. The ^'ariety is a very large, late, extremelj^ hard, strictlj^ cabbage- heading .sort, light green in color. The leaf is verj' crumpled, slightly tinged with red, and veiy curly at the margin. In quality it is very tender, crisp, and sweet, but not as delicate in flavor as some of the smaller and less coarse-growing sorts. It is not suitable for forcing, but does well outdoors and stands the heat well. The well-known Hansen and New York varieties are very much like it in all respects except color. Seed furnished by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Fhilndclphia, Pa. MUSKMELON. Defexder. This desirable new variety is a result of continued selection of Paul Eose with the especial view of developing fine quality, thick meat, and 27609— No. 25—03 3 34 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEES. thin rind. It was first introduced in 1901 by D. M. Ferrj- & Co., by whom it was originated. The fruits resemble Paul Rose more than any other, and being considerabl}- larger and more denseU' netted than that 23opular variet}', it makes a valuable addition to our list of varieties. The fruits are strikingly beautiful in appearance, and especially distinguished by regular oval shape, even shallow ribbing, thick netting, and rich mottled color. The flesh is of a deep red color, ver}^ sweet, rich, and melting, without the coarseness and stringiness of some of the large-growing, green-fleshed sorts. Being firm and solid, the fruits are well adapted for shipping. They are of medium size, and the plants are productive and earh'. Seed furnished by D. JI. Ferry y full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will I'eport the results of their trial to the Departnient. In making the report please use the blanks accompany- ing this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. BEAN. Thorbirx's Prolific Market. A foreign tj'pe of bean obtained l^y J. M. Thorburn & Co. from Vienna, Austria and first introduced bj' them in 1894. It is claimed by the introducers to be an enormouslj^ productive variety, bearing its pods in thick clusters of 35 to 40 pods to a plant, 40 ' MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. and to be also exceedingly vigorous, heal th}-, and remarkably rust proof. The pods are light green in color, very longj and perfectly round, solid fleshed, and of a very soft and marrowj^ texture. The vines are very large and erect in habit, the leaves very dark, the seeds black, and season late. It is claimed by the originators that for productiveness, solidit\' of flesh, and roundness of pod it excels any variety now in cultivation. Seed furnished by J. 11. Thorbum & Co., New York. TOMATO. Success. Originated in 1897 by M. M. Miesse, a market gardener and tomato specialist of Lancaster, Ohio. Introduced in 1900 by William Henry Maule under the name of "Maule's 1900" and in the following year called " Success." This is an excellent, very large, smooth, deep scarlet variety, similar to many other recently introduced varieties, such as Noble, Century, and Marvel, but said to be superior to them in productiveness and smoothness of fruit and to be more free from any hard or green core. The varietj^ does undoubtedly combine these qualities to a xevy large degree and, as claimed, is of excellent quality and a splendid sort for either the canner, trucker, or private gajdener. The foliage is of the common large-leaved kind, and the vines are strong and vigorous. The season is second early. The fruits are a deep flat globe shape, or as nearly globular in form as it is possible to obtain a large tomato. Seed furnished by M. M. Miesse & Son, Lancaster, Ohio. MUSKMELON. Rocky Ford. This variety is a strain of the old and well-known Netted Gem, and has recently been developed and grown in immense quantities at Rocky Ford, Colo., whence it has been shipped extensively to all the eastern and northern markets. The variety has been made extrernely popular b}' the Eockj- Ford growers as much on account of the care- ful shipping they have practiced as for the fine melons they have been able to produce in their ideal melon-growing country. The develop- ment of the variety is obscure and disputed. It was first introduced by seedsmen in 1899. The melon is very earlj" and productive and the fruits oval shaped, shallow ribbed, denseh' netted, small in size, and mottled green and yellow in color. The flesh is green, of the very best quality, and, though not as rich as some others, is not surpassed in sweetness by any, while it is uniformly good and more universallj' liked than any other. This seed was carefully selected by D. V. Burrill, of Rocky Ford, Colo., from melons of uniform size that were ideal in every particular. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 41 RADISH. Glass. A variety introduced b_y F. Barteldes & Co. and Northrup, King & Co., as claimed, about ten years ago, the former obtaining his seed from a Denver (Colo.) market gardener and the latter from Cincinnati market gardeners. The variety is considered by manj' to be identical with the Cincinnati Market and Long Scarlet Short Top varieties, but a few claim that it is not quite so long and that it possesses to a greater degree than the Long Scarlet Short Top the peculiar transparency which gives rise to its name. The roots are very long and tapering, exceedingly smooth, free from root hairs, of a brilliant scarlet color, making it altogether the most handsome and showy of the long red varieties. The variety is medium esLvly in season and remains fit for use fairly long before shooting to seed. The flesh is mild and tender. As the tops are verj'' small, the roots can be planted close together. Seed lurnished by Xorthrup, King & Co., Minneapolis, Minn. SQUASH. Golden Hubbard. A sport of the well-known Hubbard, introduced in 1896 by Storrs & Harrison Co. An exceedingly valuable introduction and entirely distinct. It is considered by man}' to be the best fall and winter variety jet introduced and has now become a standard sort. The variet}' is similar to the Hubbard, except in color, which is a deep orange yellow, with a slight greenish tinge at the extreme blossom end, and although somewhat smaller in size it is more productive than its parent. The variety is of large size, pointed oval in shape, extremely warty, and a good keeper. The flesh is fine grained, very dry, rich, sweet, and in color a deep orange extending clear to the rind, without the objectionable greenish tinge found in the Hubbard. Seed furnished by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. A. .T. PiETERS, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Gallowat, Chief of B areau. [Circular sent to recipients of .seeds of novelties and specialtie.s included in Section 6 of the scheme of distribution.] SECTION 6. The varieties included in this special distribution are either new or are not as well known as they should be. The seeds are sent out this year, accompanied by full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will report the results of their trial to the 42 MISCELLANEOTJS PAPERS. Department. In making the repoi-t, please use the blanks accompany- ing this circular and return tliem in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. PEA. Thomas Laxton. Originated bj' Messrs. Thomas Laxton & Co., of Bedfordshire, Eng- land, and first catalogued by American seedsmen in 1901. Said to be a cross between a seedling of Gradus and a seedling from the extra early varieties. This is another of the new and very desirable varieties of the large- seeded, large-podded, extra early class of peas which have followed upon the introduction of the Gradus in 1897. It is very much like that vai'iet}^, but is said to be slightly earlier and hardier. The pods, however, are shorter and not so large and handsome, while in color they are darker, and in shape square instead of pointed at the end. The quality is very good, but not equal to Gradus, and partakes more of the flavor of the ordinar}' extra early varieties. Its great value lies in its large showy pods, combined with extreme earliness and fair hardiness of plant. Seed furnished by Northrup, King A Co., Minneapolis, Minn. BEET. KuBY Dulcet. A very popular beet in England. First introduced in this country in 1899 bj^ Johnson & Stokes. An especiallj' valuable introduction, and very distinct from other globe-shaped beets in its greater depth. The color is a deep red, the shape a deep globe, verj' full at the top and holding its size well to the bottom, while the surface is ver}^ smooth and entirel}^ free from root hairs, rootlets, or markings. The leaves are medium dark red in color and being very small and erect in habit, the variety is there- fore suitable for close planting. The season is early, or about the same as Detroit Dark Red. The flesh is very dark and zoned with deep red and a lighter shade; the quality is fine grained, sweet, and tender. Seed furnished by Johnson <& Stokes, Phihidulpliia, Pa. TOMATO. TuoHiii'Kx'.s Eakliest. Originated In' J. M. Thorburn & Co., and introduced by them in 1902. This varietv was obtained bv selection of a number of English SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 43 greenhouse sorts o-rowii for several seasons out of doors in the vicinity of New York. It is claimed by the introducers to be the earliest tomato grown and to be live days earlier than the Atlantic Prize, which is the most gen- erally grown extra earl}' sort. This \'ariet3' is undoubtedlj' a splendid introduction and extremel}' early, but of small size. Compared to Atlantic Prize, it is considerabl}' smaller in size but much superior to it in being smoother, less corrugated and scarred, and more of a globe shape. It" is similar to Conference and to Bright and Early, but consid- erabh' earlier than either, and much larger than the latter. The plants have the fine leaf and habit of growth of the extra early varieties. The fruits are bright scarlet, flat globe shape, and perfectly smooth. Speciallj' recommended for forcing, but a splendid outdoor sort also. Seed furnished by J. M. Thorburn & Co., New York. LETTUCE. H.\LF Century. A very old variety of foreign origin, seldom catalogued b}' American seedsmen. John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park, N. Y., it seems, was the first American seedsman to catalogue it, or at least the first to claim for it any special superiority. The plant is very dark green in color, of a peculiarly loose, flabby, half-heading habit. It is difiicult to make it head well under any con- ditions, and on account of its behavior in this respect, as well as its weak growth and decidedly inferior appearance, it will never be a gen- eral favorite. Its value lies solely in its extra fine quality, for it is exceedingly brittle and tender and of unsurpassed sweetness. The qualit}' is of that delicacj^ which is free from the buttery quality of some kinds, and the hard crispness, the coarseness, and the strong, slightlj^ bitter qualitj^ of some other kinds. The leaves, which are exceedinglj' brittle but thick, are easily broken. The variety will not stand the least transportation, and is suitable for the home garden only. Seed furnished by Vaughan's Seed Store, Chicago, 111. MUSKMELON. EOCKY FOED. This variety is a strain of the old and well-known Netted Gem, and has been recentlj^ developed and grown in immense quantities at Rocky Ford, Colo., whence it has been shipped extensively to all the eastern and northern markets. The variety has been made extremely popular by the Rocky Ford growers as much on account of the careful ship- ping they have practiced as for the fine melons they have been able to 44 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. produce in their ideal melon-growing country. The development of the variety is obscure and disputed. It was first introduced by seeds- men in 1899. The melon is very early and productive, and the fruits small and oval shaped, shallow ribbed, densely netted, mottled green and yellow. The flesh is green, of the very best quality, and, though not as rich as some others, is not surpassed by an}', while it is uniformly good and more universallj^ liked than any other. This seed was carefully selected by D. V. Bunill, of Rocky Ford, Colo., from melons of nniform size that were ideal in every particular. A. J. PiETERS, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau [Circular sent to recipients of seeds of novelties and specialties included in Section 6a of the scheme of distribution.] SECTION 6 a. The varieties included in this special distribution are either new or are not as well known as they should be. The seeds are sent out this year, accompanied by full descriptions of the varieties, in the hope that those who receive them will report the results of their trial to the Department. In making the report please use the blanks accom- panying this circular and return them in the inclosed franked envelope, which requires no postage. PEA. Pholific E.\rly Market. Originated by N. B. Keeney & Sons, and first introduced by A. W. Livingston & Sons and William Henry Maule in 1901. The variety is descended from a plant found by Mr. Keeney in Extra Earl}' about twelve j'cars ago. This valuable acquisition to the extra earlj^ varieties resembles Alaska, and like it and other extra-early, smooth-seeded sorts is of poor quality but hard}', which latter characteristic enables it to be planted much earlier and ripened pods obtained far in advance of the less hardy but better quality peas. The pods are very much larger and contain more pea^i, and the plant is considerably more productive than other extra-early varieties, is a great improvement over them in man}' respects and only three or four days later. The vine is tall and slender like Extra Early, but considerably larger. The pods are of medium size, light green in color, round, straight, and attractive. Seed furnished by A. \V. Livingston & Sons, Columbus. Ohio. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 45 ■ BEET. EuBY Dulcet. A very popular beet in England. First introduced in this country in 1899 by Johnson & Stokes. An especiall}' valuable introduction, and very distinct from other globe-shaped beets in its greater depth. The color is a deep red, the shape a deep globe, very full at the top and holding its size well to the bottom, while the surface is very smooth and entirely free from root hairs, rootlets, or markings. The leaves are medium dark red in color, and being very small and erect in habit, the variety is therefore suitable for close planting. The season is early, or about the same as Detroit Dark Red. The flesh is very dark and zoned with deep red and a lighter shade; the quality is fine grained, sweet, and tender. Seed turnished by Johnson & Stokes, Philadelphia, Pa. TOMATO. Thoebuen's Eaeliest. Originated by J. M. Thorburn & Co., and introduced by them in 1902. This variety was obtained b}' selection of a number of English g-reenhouse sorts grown for several seasons out of doors in the vicinity of New York. It is claimed by the introducers to be the earliest tomato grown and to be five days earlier than the Atlantic Prize, which is the most gen- erally grown extra-early sort. This varietj^ is undoubtedly a splendid introduction and extremely eai'ly, but of small size. Compared to Atlantic Prize it is considerablj^ smaller in size, but much superior to it in being smoother, less corrugated and scarred, and more of a globe shape. It is similar to Conference and to Bright and Earlj', but con- siderably earlier than either, and much larger than the latter. The plants have the fine leaf and habit of growth of the extra-early varie- ties. The fruits are bright scarlet, flat globe shape, and perfectly smooth. Specialh' recommended for forcing, but a splendid outdoor sort also. Seed furnished by J. M. Thorburn & Co., New York. LETTUCE. Half Century.- A very old variety of foreign origin, seldom catalogued by Ameri- can seedsmen. John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park, N. Y., it seems, was the first American seedsman to catalogue it, or at least the first to claim for it any special superioritj'. 46 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEKS. The plant is very dark green in color, of a peculiarly loose, flabby, half -heading habit. It is diflicult to make it head well under any con- ditions, and on account of its behavior in this respect, as well as its weak growth and decidedly inferior appearance, it will never be a general favorite. Its value lies solely in its extra fine quality; for it is exceedingly brittle and tender, and of unsurpassed sweetness. The quality is of that delicacy which is free from the l:)uttery quality of some kinds, and the hard crispness, the coarseness, and the strong, slightly bitter quality of some other kinds. The leaves, which are exceedingly brittle but thick, are easilv broken. The variety will not stand the least transportation, and is suitable for the home garden only. Seed furnished by Vaughan's Seed Store, Chicago, III. HrSKMELON. Rocky Foed. This variet}' is a strain of the old and well-known Netted Gem. and has been recentlj' developed and grown in immense ciuantities at Rockj' Ford, Colo., whence it has been shipped extensivelj^ to all the eastern and northern markets. The variety has been made extremely popular bj^ the Hocky Ford growers as much on account of the careful ship- ping they have practiced as for the fine melons thej^ have been able to produce in their ideal melon-growing countrj*. The development of the variety is obscure and disputed. It was first introduced by seeds- men in 1899. The. melon is verj' early and productive, and the fruits small and oval shaped, shallow ribbed, densely- netted, mottled green and yellow. The flesh is green, of the very best quality, and, though not as rich as some others, is not surpassed by any, while it is uniformly good and more universall}' liked than any other. This seed was carefully selected by D. ^^ Burril!, of Rocky Ford, Colo., from melons of iniiform size that were ideal in every particular. A. J. PiETERS, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief cf Bureau. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 47 [Circular sent lo recipients of bulbs.] DIKECTIONS FOR PLANTING BULBS. The bulbs sent herewith are of three kinds, viz, (1) h^'aciuth, (2) tulip, and (3) narcissus. To obtain the best results, plant the bulbs as soon as received, in soil well loosened to a depth of at least 10 inches, setting- them as follows: The hyacinth Ijulbs 7 inches apart and 4 inches deep, the tulip bulbs .5 inches apart and 4 inches deep, and the narcissus bulbs about 10 inches ajiart and .5 inches deep. If the hyacinths or tulips are to be grown in pots oi- window boxes, use rich, well-drained soil; place the pots or l)Oxes in a dark room or cellar for a month or moi'e after planting, or until the roots are formed, and then bring them Fig. 5. — Hyacinth, tulip, and narcissus bulbs. into the light. Keep the soil in these pots or boxes well watered, but avoid overwetting, otherwise the bulbs may rot. [Circular sent to recipients of cotton seed.] DISTRIBUTION OF COTTON SEED IN 1903. PliAN OF DISTRIBUTING THE VARIETIES. The Bureau of Plant Industry has in progress investigations in the improvement of cotton, and as a foundation for such work it is neces- sary to determine the varieties best suited to each section of the cotton belt. The distribution of cotton seed is thus arranged with the view of furnishing growers with seed of new varieties to test in comparison 48 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. ■with the varieties they already grow. This will enable them to make comparisons and select varieties best suited to their climatic and soil conditions. Information regarding the success of varieties in different sections is as yet too meager to enable a judgment to be formed as to which will succeed best in a certain locality. In the distribution of cotton seed it is projDosed to select, so far as possible, new and little- known varieties which have proved valuable in certain localities, and distribute the seed in such a way as to insure their being generally tested throughout the cotton States. It is intended at the end of the season to follow up each package with a circular in order to obtain information in regard to the success in various sections of the vax'ieties distributed. Growers receiving- the seed ai'e urged to cooperate with the Department of Agriculture by making a careful test of the seed which is sent with this circular. In another part of the circular will be found descriptions of the varieties distributed and a statement of the points on which information is desired. In the distribution the "present season several sjjecial features have been introduced. The studies of the cotton industry which the Depart- ment has been prosecuting strongly indicate that the growing of long- staple cottons is destined to become much more general in the near future and should be encouraged. Seeds of Griffin and Allen Impi-oved, two of the best long-staple Upland cottons, have thus been procured for distribution. A second special feature of the distribution the present season is the Rivers Sea Island cotton, a variety resistant to the serious malady known as wilt or black-root. This cotton has been produced as a result of breeding experiments conducted in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture. A special circular is sent out with the seed of this variet}', and it is therefore not described herein. This seed will be distributed in the Sea Island sections of Georgia and Florida. Seabrook Sea Island cotton will also be sent to the same x'egion. The varieties of ordinary short-staple Upland cotton selected for distribution this yenv are Parker. Jones Imf)roved, Excelsior, and King. The last-named variety has been procured particularly for distribution in the boll-weevil districts of Texas, because it is probably the earliest of all known varieties, and early ripening sorts have been found to escape damage by boll weevil to a large extent. The varieties are to be distributed to the different Congressional districts as follows: Alabama : First, Third, Fiftli, and Eighth districts: Jones and Allen. Second, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth districts: Excelsior and Gritfin. Fourth district: Parker and Excelsior. Arkansas: First, Second, Third, and Sixth districts: Parker and Allen. Fourth and Fifth districts: Jones and Gritfin. . " Florida, First and Second districts: Seabrook and Rivers. Bui. 25, Bureau cf Plant Industry, U. S. Dcpt of Agriculture. Plate I. -0 n z X m o O n O |- o U) H O 2 3 CD O r r r^ T Ud 1 > SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 49 Georgia: First, Second, and Eleventh districts: Seabrook and Eivers. Fourth, Sixth, Se\-enth, and Ninth districts: Excelsior and Allen. Third and Fifth districts: Parker and Jones. Eighth and Tenth districts: Parker and Griflin. LouisiAX.v: Third and Fourth districts: Excelsior and Allen. Fifth and Sixtli districts: Parker and Griffin. Mississippi : Second and Sixth districts: Jones and Griflfiu. First, Third, Fifth, and Seventh districts: Parker and Allen. Fourth district: Excelsior and Griffin. North Carolina: First, Third, Fourth, and Eighth districts: Parker and Excelsior. Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh districts: Excelsior and Jones. South Cakolixa: First district: Parker and Griffin. Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth districts: Excelsior and Griflin. Second and Seventh districts: Parker and Allen. Tennessee: Third and Fourth districts: Parker and Excelsior. Fifth and Eighth districts: Jones and Griffin. Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth districts: Parker and Griffin. Texas: First, Second, and Thirteenth districts: Excelsior and King. Third, Fourth, Eighth, and Tenth districts: Parker and King. Fifth and Sixth districts: King and Allen. Seventh and Ninth districts: King and Griffin. Eleventh and Twelfth districts: Jones and King. Oklahoma: Excelsior and Allen. description of varieties distributed. Short-Staple Upland Varieties. jones improved. This is a big-boll Upland cotton (PI. I), said to have been introduced into America from Algiers by Wyche brothers about the jea,r 1857. The histoiy of the introduction, as given by Mr. J. F. Jones, who has been instrumental in bringing the variety into prominence, is as follows: About 1853 two brothers of a family by the name of Wyche emigrated from Ger- many, one coming to the United States and the other going to Algiers, on the Mediterranean coast, to work for a French colony engaged there in growing cotton. About 1857 the Algerian brother sent a small package of cotton seed to his brother in the United States. Before the brother in this country had time to fully test the merit of the variety he died. The war between the States came on shortly after- wards, when neglect and lack of conveniences resulted in almost destroying any trace of the variety. In fox hunting over the Wyche plantation I discovered places here and there where there was a wonderful growth of this particular variety. By per- mission I went into the fields and selected some of the seed, having to assist me a Methodist minister by the name of Warren Beggarly, who later sold some of the seed of the variety to the Government. Beggarly died shortly afterwards and left the 27609— No. 2.5—03 i 50 MISCELLANEOUS, PAPERS. work to me, and since 1877 1 have been proprietor of the variety and have had charge of its distribution. From the records you will see that I have furnished seed of this variety to the Government since about 1884, and to our State agricultural farms since about 1877. I have preserved the variety and kept it pure. Mr. Jones claims that this was the first big-boll, white-seeded cotton grown in this country, and that other big-boll types have been derived from it. Culpepper, a big-boll variety distributed last year, is said to be a hybrid of the Wyche (Jones Improved) and Dixon varieties. It has probably entered into the jjarentage of man}' of our best big-boll types. The variety is recommended as deep-rooting, drought-resistant, and as withstanding adverse conditions with little injury. It is a large, robust, vigorous plant, producing heavih' under ordinary conditions. It continues to grow late in the season and forms a good top crop when the conditions are favorable. Plant vigorous and prolific, with wide spreading branches from near the base; upper branches usually short. Bolls large, 1| to 2 inches long, ovate, blunt pointed, 5-locked, opening well. Seeds 6 to 10 to the lock, medium large, weighing from 0.13 to 0.1-t gram, covered with grayish fuzz, well covered with lint. Lint good for Upland, 1 to IJ inches in length, strong. Per cent of lint 31 to 32 under ordinary conditions. Season medium late. The seed of this variety distributed was grown b}- James F. Jones, at Hogansville, Ga. . in the season of 1902. PARKEK. Parker cotton (PI. I) was originated by John M. Parker, sr., in Boli- var County, Miss., about 1868. It was produced bj' careful selection, and ever since its production has been grown on the extensive Parker plantations in preference to all other varieties. Mr. John M. Parker, jr. , the present owner of the plantations, informs the writer that care has been exercised for j^ears in selecting the seed and preserving the variety in a high state of productivitJ^ In a variety test at Columbia, S. C, in the season of 1902, this variety gave verj^ excellent results. The plants were from 3^ to 4 feet high, vigorous, and well fruited. In season it was one of the earliest of about fifty ordinaiy sorts. The lint is very good for an ordinarj' Upland variety, being strong, hard, silky, and above the ordinary- in length, averaging on Mr. Parker's plantation from 1^ to lf^5 inches long. Mr. Parker recommends the variety as hardy, vigor- ous, prolific, and eas}^ to pick. Plant of Peterkin type, having an erect central stem, with numerous lateral limbs. Bolls medium size, round or ovate, blunt-pointed, 5-locked, opening well. Seeds 7 to 9 per lock, medium size, gray, tufted, well covered. Lint long, Ij to lj\ inches, white, strong. Per cent of hut, 31 to 33. Season medium early. The seed distributed by the Department of Agriculture was grown by John M. Parker, jr., on the plantation on which the variety origi- nated, at Maxime, Bolivar Counts, ^liss. SEED AND PLANl' DISTRIBUTION. 51 EXCELSIOR. Excelsior is a variety of Upland short-staple cotton (PL I) which has become popular in certain parts of South Carolina, and was awarded a gold medal at the Charleston Exj)osition. The variety was produced in 1S96 by taking seed from a sport of unknown parentage which exhibited desirable qualities. Since this time the seed has been selected with care to insure its coming true to type and to increase its production. Mr. Moore informs us that everj^ year selections have been made from an experimental breeding patch, culling out inferior stalks and selecting seed from nothing but the best. Under this rigor- ous selection the plants, it is claimed, have increased in productivity and have become uniform in type, showing now little tendenc^y to sport or revert to a poorer tj^pe. This variety- Mr. Moore recommends as being ^^ery prolific and giv- ing large yields. In tests at Columbia, S. C, in the season of 1902, the plants averaged about 3^ feet high and were well boiled. Some doubt exists as to what name can be correctly applied to this cotton. According to Prof. S. M. Tracy, in a statement published in Bulletin 33, United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Experi- ment Stations, issued in 1896, Mr. C. E. Ezell, of Eatonton, Ga., origi- nated by selection from the variety New Era, a sti'ain to which the name Excelsior was given. Mr. Moore's Excelsior, according to his state- ment, was originated in 1896, the year of Professor Tracy's publica- tion. Mr. Ezell's Excelsior would therefore have the priority of name. Owing to this confusion of names we would suggest that Mr. Moore's Excelsior be referred to as Moore Excelsior^ or simply as the Moore cotton. Plant of Peterkin type, with one main stem and spreading lower limbs, the other lateral limbs being comparatively short. Shows some tendency to develop bolls in pairs or clusters. Bolls medium small, ovate or spherical, blunt pointed, 4 to 5 locked, opening well. Seeds small, weighing 0.09 to 0.10 gram, gray, tufted, 7 to 9 per lock. Lint, good ordinary short staple about 1 inch in length. Per cent of lint 32 to 33. Season medium. The seed of this variet}' distributed was grown b}^ Mr. C. F. Moore, Bennettsville, S. C, in the season of 1902. KING. King, or King's Improved as it has been called, is a very early variety of Upland cotton (PI. I), originated by T. J. King, of Louis- burg, N. C. In attempting to improve the cotton grown on his plan- tation, Mr. King made tests of very many varieties, but found none that exactl}'' met the requirements as he recognized them. "'I there- fore determined," he states, "to try to mix the two kinds which, between themselves, appeared to possess all the essentials desired, and 52 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. get a composite cotton that combined the oood qualities of both varie- ties." Such a combination he claims to have secured in his King's Improved. The variety has been widely distributed and tested, and is probably as generally known as any other cotton variety. It is verj' distinct from any other of the well-known varieties. King is regarded as one of the best varieties for the northern part of the cotton belt, where the season is too short for late varieties. It is the A'ariet}' most generalh- planted late in the spring, after oats, as so-called stubble cotton, its short season enabling it to mature a good crop e^'en in the short time then availaljle. The earliness of the vari- ety and its consequent bearing on the boll-weevil question is the prin- cipal reason for selecting it for distribution the present season. Observation has shown that the damage caused by the boU-weevU increases as the season advances. In the early part of the season the numbers of the weevils are few, but as the season advances they steadily increase, and become so abundant in the latter pai't of the sea- son that in badly infested fields hardly a boll is permitted to reach maturity. Many of the bolls which are formed before the weevil has become abundant mature without injurj', and the writer has observed many particularly early plants, which, owing to their earliness, escaped damage to a considerable degree and matured a fairly good crop. This feature suggests that one of the most important factors in the control of the boll-weevil is to utilize earh'-maturing varieties. King is probabty the earliest fixed varietA^ known, and as it has given excellent results in tests at the Mississippi Experiment Station, it wUl probably do well in Texas also. Its use in boll-weevil sections to avoid the ravages of this pest is experimental, and the outcome wOl be watched with great interest. It is of special importance that grow- ers note the yield of this variety in boll-weevil sections in comparison with other sorts, and be prepared next fall to furnish the Department of Agriculture with a statement of the results obtained. To obtain the best results in sections where the boll-weevil is prevalent, the seed should be planted as earlj^ as the season will safely permit. Plant 2i to 5 feet high, rather spreading in habit, with numerous limbs gradually- decreasing in length from below upward. Bolls small, nearly round, with small blunt point, 4 to 5 locked, opening well. Seeds medium size, weighing from 0.10 to 0.11 gram, covered with brownish or greenish fuzz. Lint white, strong, three-fourths to 1 inch in length. Per cent of lint usually about 33. Season very early. The seed distributed by the De]3artment of Agriculture was grown by the originator of the variety, Mr. T. J. King, at Louisburg, N. C, in the season of 1902. Long-Staple Upland Varikties. allex improved. Allen Improved (PI. II) is a variety of cotton originated in Claiborne County, Miss., in 1899, by James B. Allen. Other and similar vari- SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 53 eties were earlier introduced by Mr. Allen under the names Allen Yellow Bloom and Allen Hybrid, which have become distributed throughout the countr}". Allen Improved was distributed to some extent in 1900, but up to the present time has not been generally dis- tributed. It is said bj^ Mr. Allen to be a cross between his Yellow Bloom and Hj'brid. The variety is recommended because of its pro- ductiveness and its long stajjle. The bolls when ripe open up wide, like ordinary Upland, letting the cotton hang out and making it easy to pick. It is said to pick easier than the Allen Hybrid and to have a stronger fiber. Mr. Allen states that it has stood the weather better for the past three j-ears than any other variety of long staple he has ever planted, not rotting in wet weather like the Yellow Bloom. It gives an average jield per acre of about 1,500 pounds of seed cotton and from 300 to iOO pounds of lint. The crop of 1900, Mr. Allen states, sold for 17 cents per pound net; that of 1901 for 1.5 cents; and that of 1902, from which the seed distributed bj;- the Department was taken, for from 16^ to IT cents. Mr. Allen's cotton is ginned on a saw gin. Plant 3 to 6 feet high, compact, branching like Truitt, with two or three long basal limbs and one main central stem. Bolls of Upland type, medium size, slightly pointed, 4 to 5 locked, opening wide. Seeds medium large size, weighing 0.14 to 0.15 gram, gray tufted, 7 to 9 per lock. Lint white, fine, and silky, li to 1§ inches long, fairly strong. Per cent of lint 27. Time of ripening midseason. The seed distributed was grown by James B. Allen, the originator of the variet}', at Port Gibson, Miss., in the season of 1902. GKIFFIN. Griffin is a long-staple, big-boll Upland cotton (PI. II), produced by John Griffin at Refuge plantation, near Greenville, Washington County, Miss. The first selection was made in the fall of 1867, and the seed first planted in the spring of 1868. After about ten years of selection some seeds were.distributed among friends in the vicinity of Greenville, and a few bushels were sold. The variety', however, has never been generallj" distributed. Regarding its origin, Mr. Griffin sa.js: The variety resulted from a cross of the old "Green Seed" cotton with Sea Island, the cross being made to give a tendency to the Green Seed to produce a longer and finer fiber. The hybrid was from 12 to 16 feet high and very unproductive. It was recrossed five years in succession with pollen of the constantly improved Green Seed. This resulted in reducing the stalk to within a few inches of the length of that of Green Seed, in giving it a larger boll, and in making it nearly as prolific. Every successive crossing was made on stalks wdiich least resembled the Sea Island form and most nearly approximated the Sea Island lint. The selection of the cotton has continuee bought in the inarhet at any price. For this reason farmers receiving this seed should plant it with care and save the seed. It is desired to know the results of all trials of the Rivers cotton, and everj^ farmer who receives seed is requested to return the accom- panying card with his name and address, signifying his willingness to report at the end of the season. Blanks will then be sent out to be filled and returned. The Department wishes to continue the work of originating and distributing wilt-resistant varieties adapted to the requirements of the various cotton-producing sections, and the active cooperation of farmers will be of great assistance. A. J. PlETERS, Botanist in Gliarge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief (f Bureau. 64 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. [Circular sent to recipients of seed of Sea Island Cotton Ko. 22-1.] SEA ISLAND COTTON NO. 224. U. S. Department of AGEictnLTURE, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C, Fehruanj i, 1903. Dear Sir: We seud you herewith one peck of seed of Sea Island cotton "No. 224:. " This is a selection resistant to the wilt disease. It is distributed for trial under our Department number rather than as a named variety, but if it proves desirable to continue its cultivation, a name will be given to it later. It was originated by selecting from a field badly affected by wilt two plants that had remained healthy. The seed obtained was planted on wilt-infected land the two years following, where it continued to resist the disease, although adjoining cotton was killed. These two successful trials indicate that its wilt resistance is well fixed, and it only remains to establish in this strain the desired commercial qualities, such as length and fineness of staple, uniformity, and productivity. "No. 224" was developed from one of the coarser kinds of cotton grown on the Sea Islands, and more attention was paid to securing wilt resistance than fine quality. For this reason it is not equal to the best varieties grown on the Sea Islands, though it is of the grade of cotton for which there is most demand in the market. The price obtained for the crop of 1902 was 24 cents per pound, but the factor informed us that it was marketed "in such a bright and showy condition that it was placed on that account in a higher grade than its staple warranted." These facts are stated plainly in order that the planters who test it may not be disappointed in the results. The Department recommends it for its wilt resistance only, but believes that it is worthy of trial as a basis from which desirable strains can be developed by the methods of selection familiar to Sea Island planters. The fact that this is not a fine cotton should not be taken as an indication that quality need be sacrificed in securing resistance to wilt. Our experience leads us to believe that wilt-resistant strains can be obtained of anj' degree of fineness desired, depending on the qualitj^ of the plant chosen at the beginning of the selection. The method of selection that we have found to give best results in breeding wilt-resistant varieties is essentialh* the same as that usually practiced for improvement of quality. It is necessary that the fii'st selections should be made in a field known to be thoroughly infected with the wilt disease, so that every healthly plant can be assumed to be resistant. Select only those plants that show no trace of the wilt disease. Several of these most prominent resistant plants should be marked and examined critically. Eight or ten that have the finest and longest staple and are most productive .should be retained, and the seed of each plant kept separate. The next year these lots of seed Bui. 25, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Plate III. Fig. 1.— Field Infected by Wilt and Root-knot. Iron co'wpea, resistant: Speoklcd coupcu, killerl. FiQ. 2.— Roots of Iron Cowpea. From adjoining rows in the same field. FiQ. 3.— Root-knot on Wonderful Cowpea. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 65 should be planted side bj' .side on badly infected land and the ^jrogeny compared carefully with especial reference to power shown of trans- mitting the resistant quality. If the descendants of any plant show many diseased stalks, the whole selection should be discarded. It will be found that in the most resistant strains almost no susceptible plants will appear. Of the resistant strains, onlj^ the one having the best commercial qualities need be retained after the second year; but the first year it is well to start with several plants, as some often turn out to be non resistant. To insure the maintenance of uniformitj^ and good quality in the resistant variety-, the selections should be repeated everj^ year. The evidence we have now shows that the resistance to wilt can be main- tained in this way without difficult}'. A resistant variety will run out if neglected, just as anj^ other kind would do. Future distributions of seeds. — The Department of Agriculture is now growing a number of wilt- resistant selections of Sea Island cotton, which it is intended to distribute among the planters as soon as a sufficient quantitj^ is obtained. Some of these may be better than the "No. 224," but in the meantime it is hoped that the planters will con- tinue the work of originating resistant strains for themselves, as so many are now doing. W. A. Orton, Assistant Pathologist. Approved: A. F. Woods, Pathologist and Physiologist. [Circular sent to recipients of seed of tlie Iron cowpea.] IRON COWPEA. {A variety resistant to wilt and root-knot. ) HISTORY. The Iron cowpea is a variety especiallj^ adapted for soil renovation and forage purposes on land where other varieties fail to succeed because of the attacks of wilt, root-knot, and other soil parasites. The seed sent out in two-quart packages accompanjdng this circular is grown expressly for the Department of Agriculture and is distributed in the Southern States primarily to test its resistance to the diseases mentioned above, which cause the condition of land commonly known as "pea-sickness." In localities where no disease occurs it should be tested for hardiness, resistance to drought and weevils, and general value. The origin of the Iron cowpea is uncertain. It was found in culti- vation in Barnwell and Aiken counties, S. C, and its I'eraarkable 2T609— No. m—m .5 66 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. resistance to disease was demonstrated bj^ experiments made bj' the Department of Agriculture in 1900-2 on the farm of Mr. T. S. Williams, Monetta, S. C, where the seed now disti-ibuted was grown. It was tested on land infested with both wilt and root- knot in com- parison with over forty other varieties, all of which were wholl}' or partially destroyed by disease, while the Iron variety remained health}'. A photograph of this field is shown in Plate III, fig. 1. The Speckled cowpea on the right was treated in every respect like the Iron, but was unable to withstand the disease. In all our trials in South Caro- lina the Iron cowpea has remained free from nematode attacks, but at the Florida Experiment Station it was somewhat afl^ected. It should be understood that under varying conditions difl:erent results may be expected, and this variet}' may not everywhere prove as resistant as in South Carolina. One object of this distribution of the Iron cowpea is to determine its resistance to disease under varj'ing climatic and soil conditions and its suitability for different sections. CHARACTERS OF THE IRON COWPEA. The Iron cowpea is of the Claj'' type. The seeds are small and hard; color buff, of varying shades. The plant is vigorous, erect, or half- trailing; the leaves dark green, with a distinctive bluish luster; time of maturing, medium to late. It blooms and bears continuously through the season, but the pods do not shell out in the field as freely as other sorts. An especially noteworth}^ feature is that it holds its leaves late in the season, remaining green after other late kinds are dead. It resists the attacks of the wilt fungus and nematode worm, withstands drought well, and the hard seeds are very free from weevil attacks. The seeds will live through the winter in the ground and come up in the spring more freely than any other variety tested. It is reported to be of fair quality as a table pea. The Iron cowpea will be most valuable for soil improvement and forage where other kinds fail. On healthy soils it is doubtful Avhether it will replace existing standard varieties, as it is no more productive than raan}^ othei's. Its long bearing season is a fault, making harvest- ing more difficult. DIRECTIONS FOR PLANTINO. In order to test the disease-resistant qualities of this cowpea it should be planted on land where the ordinary' varieties do not grow well, if any such is available. For the purpose of comparison, a few rows of another variety should be planted l^eside it. The methods of planting and cultivation should be the same as for the common varie- ties. To secure a good crop of seed, plant from May 20 to July 10, according to the latitude, in drills 3 to 4 feet apart, at the rate of 2 pecks per acre. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 67 DISEASES OE THE COWPEA. The Iron cowpea is most noteworthy for its resistance to the cowpea wilt disease and root-knot. A full description of these diseases, with accounts of experiments with remedies, etc., is published in Bulletin No. 17, Bureau of Plant Industry', United States Department of Agri- culture, and will be sent free on request. A brief account is given here to enable the farmer to recognize these troubles. THE COWPEA WILT. The wilt of the cowpea is common only on light or sandy soils, and occurs principall}'^ on land where cowpeas have been grown for several years. It appears about August in spots of varying size, which spread gradually over the field. The plants in these areas turn j'el- low, lose their leaves, and die. The stems have a reddish-brown tinge, and, when broken, the inside will also be found discolored. Latei', these stems become covered with the light-pink spores of the fungus which causes the disease. This fungus enters the roots from the soil and, growing upward, fills the water-carrying vessels of the stem with its threads, thus shutting off the water supply and causing the death of the plant. Remedies. — The cultivation of the Iron pea is the best means of relief, as it will grow where all other kinds fail. Rotation of crops for two years will give temporary relief, or since the disease does not attack any other crop than the cowpea, velvet beans or other legumes ma_y be substituted. ROOT-KNOT. Root-knot, like the wilt, is most injurious on sandy soil, and the two diseases are often found occurring together. It is caused by a minute nematode, or eelworm, which enters the roots and produces large, irregular swellings or galls. These very injurious enlargements should not be confused with the bacterial tubercles found on all health}^ cowpea roots. The latter are small and regular in foi'm and greatly benefit the plant by enabling it to draw nitrogen from the air. The accompanying figures illustrate this distinction. A few bacterial tubercles appear on the healthy roots in PL III, fig. 2, while the roots in fig. 3 are deformed by root-knot. Root-knot is also produced on several other plants by the same nematode that attacks cowpeas. Cotton, okra, peaches, and most garden vegetables are greatlj^ injured by it. This is the most serious feature of the disease, since the cultivation of the ordinary varieties of cowpea on nematode-infected land so greatly increases the number of the parasites in the soil that succeeding cotton or other crops are much injured. 68 MISCELLANEOUS PAPEKS. Hemedies. — It is hoped that work now in progress in the Depart- ment of Agriculture will result in the breeding of varieties of cotton, peaches, etc., which will be I'esistant to root-knot. At present no remedj^ is known that will entirely free land in our Southern States from this disease. The sterilization of the soil hj heat or toxic chem- icals, clean fallowing, etc. , have been recommended, but the best that can be done in ordinary farm practice is to adopt a rotation designed to starve out the parasites hj growing a succession of immune crops, such as the Iron cowpea, beggarweed, corn, oats, or other grains, grasses, etc. A rotation like the following is suggested for cotton planters: First year, corn, with Iron cowpeas between the rows; sec- ond year, either beggarweed, velvet beans, or oats, followed by Iron cowpeas; third year, cotton. If necessary cotton might also be planted the fourth year, after which the rotation should lie repeated. \V. A. Orton, Assistan t Pathologist. Api^roved : A. F. Woods, Pathologist and Physiologist. REPORT RESULTS. It is desired to know the results of all trials of the Iron cowpea, and every farmer who receives seed is requested to return the accompanj'- ing card with his name and address, signifying his willingness to report at the end of the season. Blanks will then be sent out to be tilled and returned. A rep(jrt will be asked for on the character of soil, whether or not infested with wilt or nematodes, manner of planting, character of season, success as a forage crop, yield as compared with other varie- ties, resistance to disease, etc. A. J. PlETEKS, Botanist in Charge. Approved: B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. [circular sent to recipients of seed of Kleinwanzlebeu sugar beet.] KLEINWANZLEBEN SUGAR BEET. Grown b}' E. H. Morrison, at Fairtield, Wash., from mother beets of exceptionally high sugar content and purity. The Dejjartment of Agriculture wishes to have written reports as to the tiualit}' of this seed, as sugar beet seed raising in the United States is a new industry. All requests for either beet or vegetable seed for another }'ear from those sending such reports will be given special consideration. SEED AlSfD PLANT DISTEIBUTIONi 69 Culture. — While sugar beets can be successsiilh' grown on a variety of soils, it is usually considered that they thrive best on a rich, sandy loam, having uniform surface and subsoil. The soil should be deep, with moderately porous subsoil, and either naturallj' or artificially drained. A good crop can not be grown on shallow soil having a hard, impenetrable or water-soaked subsoil. A soil that will grow a good crop of corn or potatoes is well adapted for beet culture. Well-rotted manure, phosphates, and potash ma}' be freely used, but Chile salt- peter, if used at all, should be used sparingl3^ .The proper prepai'a- tion of the soil is a prerequisite to successful growing. The ground should be fall plowed to a depth of 9 or 10 inches, and subsoiled 5 or 6 inches more. The surface should be thoroughly pulverized by disk- ing and harrowing as soon as the frost is out of the ground. After the weeds have a good start, the ground should be again harrowed to destro}' them, and finally harrowed the day before seeding. The seed should be evenly planted in rows IS inches apart, as early in the spring- as the season -svill permit. If a drill is used, 15 to 20 pounds of seed are required to sow one acre, while 10 to 15 pounds are sufficient if sown b}^ hand. Cover the seed to a depth of one-half to 1^ inches, according to the condition of the soil and the season. To keep weeds from getting a foothold and the surface loose, cultivation should begin as soon as the seeds have sprouted sufficientlj' to show the rows and continued as long as it is possible to do so without breaking the lower leaves. Thinning should be done as soon as the plants have four well- formed leaves. This can be most easilj' done bj' bunching with a 6-iuch hoe, leaving a group of plants every 6 to 10 inches. Thin to one plant to each group, using care always to leave the strongest and healthiest plant, even though the plants are at somewhat irregular distances. Give a thorough hoeing at the time of thinning. It is difficult to give general directions for raising sugar beets, as local conditions of soil and climate often make general rules impractic- able, when the individual grower must meet conditions peculiar to his particular locality. — J. E. W. Tract. Attention is again called to the desirability of a report on this seed. The beets raised from this seed should be hauled to the factory in a separate load from beets grown from any other seed, and a sepai'ate test for sugar content and puritj^ should be made. If persons receiv- ing this seed will send to the undersigned a postal card stating that they are willing to fill out a report, a blank form will be forwarded to them. A. J. PlETEES, Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribution. 70 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. [Circular sent to recipients of tobacco seed.] PLAN OF DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SEED, AND CULTURAL DIREC- TIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOBACCO DISTRIBUTED. For several years the Bureau of Plant Industr\' and the Bureau of Soils have been cooperating in work looking toward the improvement of tobacco in this country. Under the direction of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils the tobacco seed for the forthcoming Congressional seed distribution was secured from carefully selected and matured plants, in accordance with directions issued by the Department to individual growers. The seed was obtained from the best localities for each variety, and a plan of distribution worked out whereby the varieties suitable for certain districts will be sent there. The following directions for the distribution and culture of the different types of tobacco have been prepared in the oifice of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils: PLAN OF DISTKIBTJTING TOBACCO SEED. The Congressional districts in which tobacco seed will be distributed and the varieties which it is believed are best adapted to these dis- tricts are as follows: Alabama: First district: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Connecticut Havana. Arkansas: Second, Fifth, and Sixth districts: Kentucky White Burley, Virginia Oronoco, Tii'ginia White Stem. Califokxia : Sixth and Seventh districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Connecticut Havana. Connecticut: First, Second, and Fourth districts: Florida Sumatra. Florida: First and Second districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban. Georgia : Second district: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban. Illinois: Ninth district; Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana. Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twentj'-second districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco. Indiana : First, Third, and Fourth districts: Tennessee Oronoco, Kentucky White Burley, Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth. Kentucky: First, Second, and Third districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco. Fourth and Fifth districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Kentucky White Burley. Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth districts: Kentucky White Burley. Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh districts: Tennessee Oronoco, Kentucky White Burley. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 71 Louisiana: Second and Third districts: Kentucky White Burley, Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Florida Cuban. Maryland; Second and Sixth districts: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana. Fifth district: Maryland Smoking. Massachusetts: First and Second districts: Florida Sumatra. Missouri: First, Second, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Ken- tucky AVhite Burley. New York: Twenty-fourth, Twenty-seventh, Twenty-eighth, and Twenty-ninth districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Connecticut Havana, Ohio Zimmer Spanish. Nqrth C.\bolina: Second, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth districts: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Blue Pry or. North Carolina Bright Yellow. Ohio: First, Third, Fourth, and Seventh districts: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban. Sixth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Florida Cuban, Kentucky White Burley. Tenth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Kentucky White Burley. Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth districts: Maryland Smoking, Ohio Zim- mer Spanish. Twentieth district: Maryland Smoking, Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Florida Cuban. Pennsylvania; Sixth, Seventh, Nintli, Tenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Nineteenth districts: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban. South Carolina: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh districts: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia White Stem, Virginia Blue Pryor, North Carolina Bright Yellow. Tennessee: First, Second, and Third districts; Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Ten- nessee Oronoco, North Carolina Bright Yellow. Fourth district: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Kentucky White Burley. Sixth district: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Kentucky AVhite Burley. Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco. Texas: First, Second, Ninth, and Tenth districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish. .Virginia: First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth districts: Virginia Oronoco, A''irginia Sun Cured, Virginia Blue Pryor, North Carolina Bright Yellow. Fourth, Sixth, and Tenth districts: Virginia White Stem, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Blue Pryor, North Carolina Bright Yellow. 72 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. West Virginia: Third district: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, North Carolina Bright Yellow, Kentucky White Burley. Fourth district: Virginia White Stem, Virginia Sun Cured, North Carolina Bright Yellow, Kentucky White Burley. Wisconsin : First, Second, Third, Seventh, and Tenth districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana. CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOBACCO. Florida Sumatra Tobacco (Northern Districts). A very rich spot should be selected for the seed bed of Sumatra tobacco grown in the North. In the early fall this plot should be plowed and divided into beds (3 feet wide and anj^ desirable length, surrounded by a wall made of boards, 2 inches thick and 12 inches wide, set 2 or 3 inches in the ground. These beds should be highly fertilized with cotton-seed meal and stable manure, well spaded in to a depth of 6 or S inches, and the whole covered with leaves, manure, or trash to keep out the frost during the winter. About April 1 this top dressing should be taken ofl' and the bed again spaded and the soil well pulver- ized, after which another application of cotton-seed meal or cotton-hull ash should be given. This should be raked in and the surface made smooth and loose, making the bed read^^ to receive the seed. About five days before the time of sowing the seed should be put to sprout in aj)ple-tree punk, made soft with warm water. This should be put in a fruit jar and kept in a warm room. It will be observed that the seed will be slower in sprouting than domestic tobacco seed, and it will not sprout uniformly ; that is, all the seed will not sprout at the same time. It is best to wait until nearh' all the seed is sprouted before sowing. Mix the seed with bran or cotton-seed meal and sow at the rate of 2 tablespoonfuls of the seed to 100 square yards, after which a heavy roller should be drawn over the bed, thus packing the seed well into the soil, making the surface smooth and preventing the rapid drying out of the soil which would otherwise take place. If the ground is drj', it should be watered immediately after sowing the seed, and this should be continued from time to time as the soil maj' require. In the absence of rain after the plants are up watering should still be practiced. There are many enemies of the. seed bed in the wa^' of insects, so a careful watch is necessary. As soon as there is anj^ appearance of flea-beetles or horn worms, the bed should be sprayed with paris green mixed with water at the rate of 1 tablespoonful to 2 gallons of water. In oi'der to keep down the insects, the bed should be sprayed at least three times a week. It is safer to protect these early beds with can- vas stretched on frames made over and around the beds. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 73 When the plants are drawn for transplanting, great eare should be taken to get as much root as possible. Each person doing this work should be provided with a bucket of water, and as soon as the plants are drawn the roots should be washed to remove all soil that maj^ have stuck to them. The plants are then placed in a basket, roots down, and are immediately set out. The washing of the roots is not gen- erally practiced, but it has been found that plants live and grow better when the roots are clean. After each drawing of the plants from the bed, the soil should be watered, in order to close up the places from ■which the plants ha^'e been taken. The soil selected for this tobacco should be a light gray sandy loam or sand with a sand or clay subsoil, jsrovided the clay is not closer to the surface than 12 or 1.5 inches. In order to produce a light, thin wrapper, the sandj' soil must be ver}^ rich and a large quantity of fertilizer is necessarj'. The land should be broken up in November or December, allowing the plow to cut from 4 to 6 inches deep, according to the nature of the soil and the quantit}^ of fertilizer used. If a large quantity of fertilizer is used, such as cotton-seed meal and stable or barn manure, it should be thrown broadcast over the field and plowed in. This should be done about six weeks before the time of setting out the plants. Often a second application of fertilizer will be needed in order to give a continuous, rapid growth. The distance between the rows should be -4 feet and between the plants 12 inches. As it is alwaj's desirable to get a uniform growth, great care should be exercised to have each plant live. If the ground is moist and showers frequent, watering the plants is unnecessary; but if the ground is dry, they should be watered immediately after setting and, if possible, each daj' thereafter as long as the plants may require it. After setting the plants they should not be disturbed for at least six days. If the soil becomes packed and hard, a furrow should be run on each side of the row, using a small straight plow and letting it well down. This should be followed immediatel}^ by two .sweep furrows, which will put the plants on a smooth ridge. The hoe is then used, carefully stirring the soil about the plants. Thereafter cultivation should be frequent and shallow. As the principal value of Sumatra is its wrapping' leaves, great care should be exercised to preserve the soundness of the leaf. In topping the Sumatra tobacco onh^ the bud should be taken out, and all the leaves allowed to grow. If the land is exceedingly rich it is found best not to top at all, but to allow the plant to go to bloom. It has been found by experience that Sumatra tobacco should be harvested at an early stage of ripeness, as the leaf will cure riper and be more elastic — that is, it will have more life. It is usual to take 4 or 6 leaves at each priming, thus going over the field four or five times before the whole crop is harvested. 74 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. As soon as the first leaves at the bottom of the stalk begin to ripen, harvesting is begun 133^ plucking off or priming the first four leaves at the bottom and transporting them to the curing shed in baskets. There they are strung on strings attached to laths, from 30 to iO leaves being- allowed to a lath. The leaves are placed back to back and face to face, so as to prevent cupping or folding over each other. The laths are then hung in tiers in the barn, where they remain until the leaves are cured. When the tobacco is primed from the stalk, it should not take more than two weeks to cure; when it is hung on the stalks, three to four weeks are necessary'. The manipulation of the barn or curing shed is governed entirely by the condition of the weather and the nature of the tobacco; so no fixed rules can be given. However, in a general way, it can be said that if a barn is filled with green tobacco and the weather is hot and dry, the ventilators should be tightly closed for about three daj^s, by which time the tobacco should be quite yellow. The barn should then be opened at night and kept closed during the day. This is done to prevent rapid curing, which destroys the life of the leaf and gives uneven colors. If there are frequent showers and but little sunshine, the barn should be kept closed and fires started in small charcoal heaters distributed throughout the barn. These fires should be continued as long as it is necessary to keep the tobacco in proper condition. Where charcoal heaters are not available, wood which has as little odor and as little smoke as possible should be used. It is very important to dry out the barn without giving the tobacco any foreign odors. To obtain the best results the tobacco should become fairly moist and fairlj^ dried out once in every twentj'-four hours. When the midribs are thoroughl}^ cured the leaves are readj^ to be taken to the packing house. To get the tobacco in condition to handle, all the ventilators should be left open for one night, opening them about 6 o'clock in the evening. The next morning the tobacco should be in what is called "good case;" that is, it will have taken up sufli- cient moisture to become soft and pliable. The barn is then tightlj^ closed, in order to retain the moisture, and the leaves are taken from the laths. The bottom, middle, and top leaves should be kept separate in the barn. After the tobacco has been taken down and packed it should be taken at once to the warehouse for fermentation and baling. Florida Sumatra Tobacco (Southern Districts). The land for the seed bed should be preferably fresh, rich ham- mock, having a light gray soil, moist but not wet. Dry, thirsty land should be avoided. In selecting the seed bed it is best to secure land sloping from north to south, protected on the north by forests and open on the south to let in the midday sun. The time for sowing the SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 75 seed is from March 1 to Aiiril 15. Plants should be ready for trans- planting about sixty da^'s after sowing. One week before sowing the seed the bed should be thoroughly cleaned and all straw and leaves carefullj- raked off, after which the ground sliould be burned. This is done to destroy all grass and weed seeds or roots which might otherwise come up and choke the tobacco plants. The burning is done in the following manner: After raking the surface well, skids are laid 4 feet apart, running the full length of the plat to be sown. A pile of wood is then laid across the skids, running the width of the bed. The fire is started, and as fast as the ground is thoroughly burned and covered witli ashes the fire and wood are drawn along the skids, wood being continuously added. After the entire bed is burned the ground is again raked to remove the coals, letting the ashes remain. The soil is then spaded to a depth of i inches, all the roots and tufts being carefully taken out. If the soil needs fertilizing after the spading is completed (the seed bed should be very rich in order to give thrift}^, health^^ plants), such quantity of fertilizer as may be necessary is thrown broadcast over the surface. Any complete guano ma}^ be used. The bed is again raked with an iron-toothed rake to mix the fertilizer well with the soil and to have the surface smooth and loose. The bed should be divided into "lands" about 4 feet wide, leaving narrow walks between. Each land should be measured to ascertain how many square feet it contains, and enough seed should be mixed with ashes to sow one land at a time, at the rate of 2.tablespoonfuls of the seeds to 100 square yards. This is the usual allowance for 1 acre to be planted. After the sowing is completed the bed should be rolled with a heavy roller. If the gi'ound is dry it should be watered imme- diately after the sowing of the seed, and this should be continued from time to time as the soil ma}^ require. In the absence of rain, after the plants are up, watering should still be practiced. The manner of transplanting, the kind of soil to be selected, the methods of field culture, and the manipulation of harvesting and curing are the same in both northern and southern districts. FLomDA Cuban Tobacco. The seed bed for this variet}^ of tobacco should be the same as that for the Sumatra in the South, and should be cleared, burned, and prepared in the same manner. The time for sowing the seed is from January 15 to March 1, and sometimes as late as April. Januar}' and February sowings should give plants large enough for transjilanting within sixty or seventy days; those of March and April within forty to sixty days. Transplanting is done in the same way as with the Sumatra, except that the plants are set 1-i inches apart. The same rules as to watering and early cultivation apply. 76 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. When the plants beg-in to button, cultivation should stop. Early oi' low topping is not desirable, as it throws too much growth into the leaves, making them large and coarse. There should be from li to 16 leaves to the stalk after the plant is tojjjjed. At this point suckers will start at each leaf, but these must be broken off at least twice a week. The battle with the worms, which was begun in the seed bed, does not end until the tobacco is harvested. A careful watch should be maintained to keep all insects off' the tobacco. This varietv should be harvested and huno- in the curino- shed in the same manner as the Sumatra. If it gives promise of being "wrapper" — that is, if it is light green, veiy sound in leaf, and of desirable size — it should be primed at an early stage of ripeness. If, however, appearances prove that it will be "tiller"' tobacco, it should be allowed to get thoroughly ripe. If the soil is rich and the season jjropitious, a second profitable crop can be produced from the suckers in Southern localities. As soon as the original crop is topped suckers will sprout from each leaf. These, of coarse, should be bi-oken off as soon as they appear, otherwise they will check the growth of the leaf. "When all the leaves have been primed from the original stock, except the four or six leaves at the top. two suckers should be allowed to grow from the bottom of the stalk. These two suckers will be well started by the time the top leaves of the original stalk are ripe. The stalk should then be cut just above where the suckers sprout, and cultivation should begin at once, the soil being brought up around the old stubble. The suckers should not be allowed to have more than six leaves each. The growth of these will be rapid and they will mature quickly. "When ripe the leaves should not be primed, but the stalk should be cut. It is often the case, where the seasons are favorable, that the suckers will make a \evy tine quality for filler purposes. The same method of curing is used for both Cuban and Sumatra tobacco. Connecticut Havana Tobacco. The seed bed for this type should be prepared by plowing it in the fall and sowing on a good supply of cotton-seed meal or some other good fertilizer. In the spring, as soon as the frost is out of the ground, the bed should be again plowed or harrowed with a cutaway harrow and a small quantity of phosphate thrown broadcast upon it. The bed should again be harrowed and well raked. The seed should be sown about the middle of April. It is first sprouted by being put in apple-tree punk or moist sand and kept in a warm room. Plants should be read}' for setting in the field within six or seven weeks from sowing. The rows should be 3 feet 4 inches apart, and the distance between the plants frOm 16 to IS inches. The tobacco is tojiped so as SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 77 to allow from 16 to IS leaves to the stalk. The average yield per acre is from 1,800 to 2,000 pounds. The crop is harvested by cuttino- the stalks and letting them remain in the field until they wilt. Then they are hauled to the barn, where they are speared on laths, from 8 to 12 stalks being allowed to a lath. These ai-e hung- up in the barn 8 inches apart. This tobacco is cured as follows: While the leaves are green the barn should be closed at night and during damp weather and opened during" the day; but when the tobacco is half cured, the ventilation should be reversed and the barn closed during the day and opened at night and in damp weather. The tobacco shoidd be fairly dried out and fairly moistened once every twenty-four hours. The cui-ing is completed when the midribs of the leaves are thoroughly dried. The soil best adapted to the Connecticut Havana ^'ariety is a light sandy loam. Ohio Zimmer Spanish Tobacco. The seed bed for this type, which is prepared in essentially the same way as that for the Connecticut Havana, should be sown from March 1 to April 15, and the plants ought to be ready for transplanting within eight or ten weeks. The rows in the field should be 3 feet apart and the plants 22 inches from each other in the drill. The tobacco should be topped when the seed bud appears, leaving about 16 leaves to the plant. The average jneld is 1,000 pounds per acre. The Zimmer Spanish tobacco is harvested and cured in the manner described for the Connecticut Havana leaf. The soil best adapted to the Zimmer Spanish variety is sugar-tree red uplands or " Miami clay loam" of the Soil SurveJ^ North Carolina Bright Yellow Tobacco. The seed bed for this tobacco should, if possible, be selected on a hillside sloping from west to east or from north to south, so as to get all the morning sun and be sheltered from the cold west and north winds. The soil of the seed bed should be as rich alluvial virgin soil as can be had. The bed should be well burned and all the grubs taken out. A little 2-inch bull-tongue plow should be used to break up the soil in two waj-s so as to tear out all the roots, which should be raked out and the bed made smooth. To 100 square j-ards put on 100 pounds of high-grade fertilizer and 2 barrels of well-rotted stable manure about 1 inch deep. Plow this in with the same bull-tongue plow and rake the bed carefully until the surface is level. After the sowing is completed a heavy roller should be drawn over the bed. The seed should be sown from the first to the middle of January and not later than the first of P^ebruary. This will give plants ready for transplanting by April 5. Harvesting should begin from sixty to 78 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. seventy days after transplanting. The rows should be oi feet and the plants 2i feet apart. The average j-ield is 1,000 pounds per acre. Harvesting may be done by priming the leaves or bj' cutting the entire stalk. In priming the tobacco the leaves are stripped from the stalk in the field as they ripen, and are strung on strings attached to laths, about 30 leaves being allowed to each lath. These are then hung in the barn to cure. If this method is practiced, from 14 to 16 leaves may be matured on each plant. If it is desired to cure the tobacco on the stalk, the first four bottom leaves should be stripped off and the tobacco topped, so as to leave from 10 to 13 leaves on the stalk. In cutting the tobacco the stalk should be split from the top down to within a few inches from the last set of leaves, and then the stalk should be cut just below these leaves. The plants are hung on the lath by opening the split, 6 to 8 plants being allowed to each lath. These are carried to the barn, where the}" are hung in tiers. This tobacco is cured as follows: The barn should be heated to 100° and allowed to remain at that temperature until the tobacco colors well. The temperature should then be gradualh' raised to 110"^ and retained until the desired colors are obtained. At 120° the tips of the leaves on the first tier should show signs of drying, and at 125° all the leaves on the first and second tiers should be dry. At this point the barn should be gradually heated to 145°, a pause of several hours being made at 140°. By this time all the leaves in the barn should be dry, but in order to kill the stem the temperature should be raised 5°. Then a rapid rise should be made until 176° is reached, at which tem- perature the tobacco should be thoroughly cured. The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a light-gray sandy loam. Maryland Smoking Tobacco. Prepare the seed bed for this variety as for Cuban tobacco, sowing the seed from Februarj^ 1 to March 20. The other operations in the production of the two types are the same up to transplanting. The Mar^-land smoking tobacco is transplanted from May 15 to June 1, in rows 3 feet apart, the plants being given a distance of 20 to 24 inches from each other in the drill. The plants should- be topped so as to leave about 16 leaves to the stalk. The average yield is 1,000 pounds to the acre. In harvesting this tobacco, the plants are cut and four rows are thrown together. They are then speared on sticks, from 6 to 8 plants being allowed to the stick. Care should be taken that the plants are not crowded too closely on the sticks or in the barn. The sticks are hung about 8 inches apart in the barn, and after the tobacco is half cured they can be put closer together if necessarj^, say about 4 inches apart. It generally takes about two months to cure this tobacco suiB- ciently to strip. seed and plant distkibtjtion. 79 Tennessee Types (Yellow Prtor, Oeonoco, Improved Yellow Mammoth). The soil best suited for the seed beds of these t3'pes is rich, friable, black virgin loam or sandy soil with a southern exposure. The time for sowing- the seed is from March 1 to April 1,5. The preparation and management of the seed lied are the same as for Cuban tobacco. The plants should be ready for transplanting about Majr 10. The rows in the field should be placed 3^ feet apart each y^aj. Ten days are necessaiy for the plants to establish themselves in the soil, and at the end of that time cultivation with the plow should begin; after- wards the hoe should be used. The field should be worked first one way and then the other. About six or eight weeks after transplanting the plants ought to be ,ready for topping. This is done bj^ pinching ofi' the bud, leaving 8 or 10 leaves to the stalk, not including the leaves at a distance of 6 inches from the ground. All suckers should be kept off the plant. The tobacco should be allowed to get thoroughly' ripe before har- vesting, which is done in the following manner: Split the stalk down from the toj) to within a few inches of the last set of leaves. Cut two rows, laying the plants right and left, and when wilted hang the plants on laths, from S to 12 stalks to a lath. These should be laid in small piles at a sufllcient distance apart to allow between them the passage of a wagon, on which the laths are loaded and carried to the curing shed. Care should be taken not to cut the plants after a rain or in the hot sun. This tobacco is cured as follows: After it has been hanging in the barn four or five daj^s, slow fires should be kindled under it, and at the expiration of twentj^-four hours the heat should be gradually increased until 150° is reached. The leafy part and one-half the stem should be cured in three days and nights. After this the tobacco should be allowed to come in "order" (soft and pliable) and be dried out hy fires. This alternation of getting the tobacco moist and dry- ing it out should be kept up for three or four weeks. This tobacco is cured b}' open wood fires, made by placing two logs side by side and building a fire between them. Open-fire heat is preferred for all tobacco to be sent abroad. The soil best adapted to these t^-pes is a strong, rich loam with a deep reddish subsoil. Kentucky White Burley Tobacco. The seed bed for this varietj' of tobacco is selected and prepared as in the case of the Cuban tj^pe, the only variation being in the time of seeding, which for the Burley is limited to Februarj^. As soon as the plants are well rooted cultivation should begin, and 80 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. this should be continued during the growing season, so as not to allow the soil to become crusty and hard. The plants should not be per- mitted to bloom, but should be topped as soon as the button appears, leaving from 14 to 16 leaves to the stalk. The tobacco should be allowed to become thorough!}^ ripe before harvesting. It is harvested in much the same way as the Yellow Pryor and other Tennessee types, but no fire is used in its curing, which is accomplished by simply hanging in the barn. Virginia Types (White Stem or One SrcKER, Oronoco, Sun- CuRED, Blue Pryor). The situation and kind of soil best suited for the seed bed and the methods of its preparation and management are the same for all these t3^pes as for the Cuban tobacco, but there are some differences in the time of sowing the seed and in the manner of cultivating, harvesting, and curing the different varieties. White stem or 07ie-such:-r tolacco. — Seed should be planted from January to March. Plants should be set in the field in rows •! feet apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill. The plants should be topped, so as to allow from 8 to 12 leaves to the stalk. The average yield is 1,500 pounds per acre. About fourteen weeks elapse between the time of transplanting and of harvesting, as this tobacco should l)e thoroughly v\-pe when cut. The crop is cut and harvested in the following manner: The stalk is split from the top to the last set of leaves and severed about 2 inches below the split, or just below the last set of leaves. Hang the stalks on laths b}' opening the split, seven or eight plants being sufficient for one lath. The curing is done as follows: Put the tobacco in the barn as quickly as possible — before it begins to turn yellow. After the barn is filled build a fire of dry oak or other hard wood and make it hot enough to scald the leaves. About five hours of firing at a temperature of from 150° to 155° will usually scald the leaves. Then diminish the heat and. keep a slow fire in the barn until the stalks are cured. Forty-eight hours ai'e required to perfect this cure. The soil adapted to this type of tobacco is a sandy loam with a red clay subsoil. Without such subsoil the tobacco will have a dull, slaty color, while with it the tobacco will be rich, glossy, and much tougher. Oronoco tobacco. — The time for sowing the seed is from February 1 to April 15. Plants should be ready for transplanting si.xty days after sowing if the season is favorable. In the fi§ld the distance between the rows should be 3^ feet and between the plants in the drill 3 feet. The plants should be topped so as to leave from 8 to 10 leaves on the stalk. Fifteen hundred pounds per acre is considered a good crop. SEED AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 81 The tohacco is cut in the same way a.s the White Stem variet}'. When the phxnts are wilted, one man walks between the rows, holding the lath on which the plants are to be hung. The hanging is done bj' two other men, who walk to the right and left of the one carrj'ing the lath. When the laths are full, thej' are carefully laid on the ground, two or three together. They are then loaded on a wagon and carried to the curing shed, where they are hung in tiers. From 6 to 8 stalks ai'e allowed to a lath. This type of tobacco is usually cured with a small fire in the barn. Slow fires should be started and kept burning until the leaf is well 3^ellowed; then the temperature should be increased until the leaf is cured and the stalk is brown. After this it is onh^ necessary to have enough fire during the early morning to dry out the leaf until the tobacco is thoroughly cured. From twenty to thirt)^ days are required to complete this curing. A soil with a stiff clay subsoil is adapted to the growing of this tobacco. Sun-cured tobacco.- T\i6 time of sowing the seed is from Februarj^ 1 to April 15. Plants should be readj' for transplanting in about ninety days after sowing. The rows should be 3 feet 3 inches apart and the plants in the drill 2 feet. The plants are topped so as to leave 10 to 12 leaves to the stalk. The average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre. The crop is cut and harvested in the same manner as the Oronoco type. Curing is effected as follows: When the tobacco is taken to the curing shed, it is crowded together and allowed to remain until it is quite yellow. Then the barn should be opened or the tobacco should be hung on racks in the sun until cured. Sun and dew are preferred for curing sweet-flavored tobacco. From five to eight weeks are required to effect this cure. The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a medium sandy soil that is high enough to give good natural drainage. Slue Pryor tobacco. — Seed should be sown from January 1 to March 15. Plants should be set in rows 3^ feet apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill. The plants are topped so as to leave 8 or 10 leaves on the stalk. The average yield is from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds per acre. The method of harvesting is the same as for the pi'evious types. The tobacco is cured in the following manner: It is hung in the barn until it yellows uniformly; then a slow fire is started and con- tinued until the leaf is cured. From three to five weeks are required for the curing of this type. The soil best adapted to this tobacco is a gra\' loam with a red clay subsoil. 27609— No. 25—03 6 82 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. COMMERCIAL TISES OF THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF TOBACCO. Florida Sumatra tobacco is used almost exclusively as a wrappei' for domestic cigars. In the southern districts the thick or broken leaves may be cured for tiller purposes. Florida Cuban is essential^ a filler tobacco for domestic cigars, although much desirable wrapper is produced from this type in the southern districts. Connecticut Havana is grown entirely for wrapjjer and binder purposes for domestic cigars. Ohio Zimmer Spanish is used exclusively for filler for domestic cigars. North Carolina Bright Yellow is used for pipe smoking, chewing, and cigarettes. The most valuable leaves are those used for wrappers for plug tobacco and for all-tobacco cigarettes. This tj^pe was for- merly grown almost wholly for the domestic market, but now a con- siderable export trade is maintained with England, Japan, and other countries. Maryland Smoking tobacco was formerly used to a large extent for domestic pipe smoking, but the principal market is in two or three of the "Regie" countries, Finance taking the bulk of the crop. The Tennessee t}'pes are principall}^ exported. The Virginia types are used to a very large extent in the domestic markets for smoking and chewing tobaccos and snuff. Considerable quantities, however, are exported, especially the heavier and cheaper grades. Kentuckjr White Burley is used for pipe smoking, chewing, and cigarettes. The bulk of the crop is consumed in our domestic mar- kets, but considerable quantities are exported. RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT ON TOBACCO. The following publications are available for general distribution: Farmers' Bulletin No. 60. — Methods of Curing Tobacco. Farmers" Bulletin No. 82. — Culture of Tobacco. Farmers' Bulletin No. S3. — Tobacco Soils. O ^^.^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DDD2bfl2bT7H