Evening star., 1897-06-10
THE SEED ASSOCIATION.
Nsmbsn 0iflad q ths Agricultural De-
paztnmt Today.
they Md Net See Secretary Wilson.
but Were interested in
the Grounds.

A large number Of delegates to the seeds
mems convention. in session in this city,
visited the Department Of Agriculture to-
day, and were shown about the building
and grounds. They paid special attention
to the plot Of about an acre In front Of
the seed house. where are grown over 500
varieties of grasses and other forage plants.
Prof. F. Lamson Scribner, in charge of the
division of agrostology. explained the va
rous forage plants to the visitors. who
were highly pleased with what they saw.
The 500 varieties of forage plants grow
Ing In the grounds Of the Agricultural De
partment have been gathered from al
parts of the United States. The creeping
bent" samples of which come from the
coast of Maine and from along the south
ern Atlantic coast, attracted much atten.
tion and was regarded the queen of lawn
grasses.
1t has long been looked upon as heresy
Tor well-fnformed seed men to recommend
anything other than Kentucky blue grass
for lawn purposes. but the soft, thick mat
formed by the Creeping bent is fast gain
ing hrst place for the purpose of making
lawns. A curiosity of the plat of grasses
is the Apache blue grass from New Mex
leo. which, unlike it's namesake of Ken
lucky. is truly q blue grass, taking it's color
from the sky. -
OF all native grasses of America none
is so nearly the color of the sky as that
like of Indians. For some time Prof.
Scribuer cultivated grass that had been
obtained from Acapulco. Mexico, and
known to botanists as species of pasoa-
lum. But he could learn no common name
for 1t, and only in the last few days was
q sample of the same grass received from
Texas, where it has been given the refined
cognomen of 1l-and-be-damned.'
The name describes the grass. No amount
of pulling will wrest its tufts from the soil.
another interesting specimen is a square of
prairie sod from Nebraska, from which a
large square of lawn Is being grown. An
European gra sses by the score, and an
effort is being made to cultivate In the
grass patch samples of every known grass
and forage plant.
This is accomplished by a system of ex-
change with those engaged in advancing
similar work in foreign countries. AT Knox
vile, Tenn, the government maintains a
field of seven acres devoted to the cultiva-
tion of these gr1sses on a more extensive
scale than can be done here. Prof. Scrib-
ner is anxious to have a similar culture in
Texas and New Mexico in order to snow
the climatic effects in the growth Of this
variety of plants.
objection to the Senate Revision,
At the session yesterday A. L. Dom OF
New York. the secretary, read a series of
resolutions, which condemned the report of
the Senate finance committee reducing the
proposed duty ON garden seeds, and set
forth claim for the protests of the lands,
investments and laborers of American seed
growing firms to the extent of 40 per cent
beet. radish and spinach, now recommend
ed on the free list, be made dutiable at 40
Per cent; also that a duty of 40 per cent be
placed upon flower seeds, and duty of 80
per cent on towering bulbs as provided in
the Dingley bill.
1t was also resolved that peas and beans
remain as provided by the Dingley BILL
and that the duty on flower seeds take eff
feet in one year.