Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-09
EXPERIMENTS WITH SEEDS
Annual Report of F. v. Coville, the Govern.
ment Botanist.
Farmers Apply to Agricultural De-
Readiness to Accept Suggestfons.

| Frederick v. Colville. botanist of the
Department of Agriculture, has submitted
his annual report to Secretary Wilson. II
| contains much information in regard to
| experiments with seeds.
| Mr.. Coyille says that in his last annual
| report the need of trial grounds in connec-
| ton with seed tests was emphasized and
late last season small beginning was
made in this direction on the department
! grounds. This year no space could be
| spared for this purpose, and a tract of
about half an acre of truck soil of the
region was secured at Kensington, Md,
| about eleven miles from Washington. Two
series of trials were made, one a simple
test of all varieties Of peas and beans now
on the market, the other a seed experiment
with peas. The seed selection experiments
| confirmed the results of last year. obtained
in the green house, that large heavy peas
produce an earlier and a heavier crop than
| either unsolicited or small peas
The report states that the satisfactory
result of the trial grounds maintained at
| kensington during the present season
| showed that the permanent possession of
| such ground would many times repay their
cost The opinion is given that nothing
could more enhance the value of the de-
.partments seed distribution than a trial
| ground test of the seeds it is proposed to
| distribute. All large seed establishments
| maintain such grounds as necessary part
| OF their business equipment, and by this
| provision the repetition of many of the
| mistakes heretofore made by the depart
ment in the distribution of seed, could be
Prevented Furthermore the command by
| the department of trial ground would
| be of great general value to agricultural
science, leading, as it necessarily would, tc
| a scientific study of field crops. The de-
| partment would be enabled 10 keep, it
should, a record of all the new plants It
distributes in the form, not only of the
| sample of the Seed but also of an authori-
| tative specimen Of the plant itself, grown in
| the trial ground and suitably preserved
| for future reference
Judging from the large number of letters
received by the department asking for in
| formation about the cultivation of new
| little known crops, the farmers of the
country are ready, in view of the general
| ly lessened profits on staple farm products,
| to follow any promising suggestions made
by the department in this direction. AS a
beginning of effort to meet this demand
| an investigation has been undertaken of
| the subject of chicory cultivation. This
| country imports about S250,OOO of chicory
root per annum, which is used as coffee
| substitute and adulterant There is now
| every prospect that chicory will be made
| a profitable farm product in the United
States, and that this amount of money will
| go into the pockets of American instead of
European farmers.
Tests AS to Weeds.
After the transfer of the national herba-
rum to the National Museum building, the
Importance of creating at the department !.
reference herbarium of economic plants be-
gan to be appreciated. During the past
year the beginning of such a collection has
been made by preserving a full series of
best specimens of all varieties of peas and
beans, grown on the trial grounds besides
large number of seedlings of miscellu-
neous agricultural plants drawn from green
mouse termination tests, series of weeds
collected in the vicinity of Washington or
received from correspondents and a series
or poisonous and medicinal plants obtained
In the same way
Inc work relating to weeds has been car
ried on along essentially the same lines as
heretofore by the preparation of circulars
ana by an extensive correspondence. cir
cular on wild garlic, a very troublesome
Weed In pasture and wheat fields east of
the Alleghenies from southern New York to
North Carolina, was published early in the
year. Other circulars were issued.
another case of damage by a plant, the
obstruction of navigation in a river. has
been investigated during the past year.
The plant known as water hyacinth, a ma
tive Of South America, cultivated for orna-
ment. fountains and ponds. had escaped
into the st. Johns river in Florida where
1t had propagated itself with wonderful
rapidity.
The division Of botany assumed the task
OF making termination aud purity tests of
all the seeds distributed by the department
under the specific appropriation for that
purpose. AS all seeds falling below the
standards of vitality were retested under
various conditions, SO as to remove any
possible doubt as to the correctness of the
result. 1t was necessary to make over 5000
tests, in order to ascertain the value of
nearly thousand varieties of vegetable
seeds, and about $50 varieties of flower
seeds. The report states that by a modifi-
cation, If practicable Of the system Of pur-
chasing the seeds. SO to secure all of one
variety in one lot the cost of testing would
be much reduced
Investigations I'm Progress.
Reports on the following topics are now
In preparation: The general subject Of clo-
yer seed, the chemical treatment of seeds
to aid termination, the termination Of i'm
| mature weed seeds and the standards of
| purity and termination. The division
| makes tests free of charge to farmers
seedsmen and Investigators, and conducts
large correspondence on this subject
The correspondence of the division con-
| tinues to require large amount of time
During the year some $500 inquiries have
| been answered by letters, in addition to
several thousand answers by the sending of
circulars or other reports prepared for
such purposes.
One important subject of botanical inves-
tigatton, to which attention has been hith-
erto called, is that of natural agricultural
belts or areas as indicated by the natural
vegetation. 1t is well known to most farm
ers that certain kinds of timber are indica-
tons Of certain agricultural capacities of
the soil.
1t is believed that a critical study of the
subject will bring out facts capable of prac-
tical application. None of the present as
sistants the report states, can be well
spared for this investigation, and it is de-
sirable that steps be taken to secure the
services Of an additional assistant, compe-
tent for the work.