The Washington herald., 1907-01-02
HAS new SEED PLAN
Would Abolish Distribution
of Common Varieties.
DR.. GALLOWAY URGES REFORM
Idea Is Practically TO Make Congress-
men Agents OF the Department of
Rare Seeds and Improving Crops
GeneraIIy-Great Benefit Expected.

Intellectual attempts have been made
annually for several years to abolish The
distribution of seeds by the Department
OF Agriculture Influential Republicans.
as we'll as Democrats. have spoken in
vain against the abuses to which the dis
tribudon has led Now the advocates Of
the proposed reform are following new
plan.
DR. B. r. Galloway. chief of the Bureau
of Plant Industry. which has immediate
charge of the distribution, has outlined
this TO the House Committee on Agricul-
ture. He hopes something like IT viii be
enacted into law and put into operation
during the next fiscal year He has
seveny-five projects in reality. for The
distribution OF seeds, but by-altogether
different methods than Congress ever
directly authorized. These projects con-
template sending out TO various localities
choice varieties of seeds as soon rs feast
bic. He exhibited TO the committee re-
Gently maps and photographs to illustrate
where the work could be carried on He
has already undertaken it in a small way.
sending special varieties Of seeds 10
farmers or others known 10 be specially
interested in certain kinds of crops The
department keeps in close touch with the
recipients Of these seeds. Reports are
made. and the farmers are thus brought
into close cooperation with the depart
ment In a way the individual farmer
conducts a miniature experiment station.
such as most States now maintain In
connection with their agricultural colleges.
Congressman as Agents.
In effect Dr. Galloway proposes to make
each Congressman the agent Of the Agri-
cultural Department In extending these
seed experiments He would cut off en-
tirely the annual supply Of ordinary va
neties Of beet seed. corn. onion seed. to-
bacco seed, and so on through a long list
The headings Of eighteen separate plans
that BE outlined 10 the Committee on Ag-
riculturc indicate what DIR. Galloway pro-
poses to do. These headings were 'Exten-
SIGN OF Arabian Alfalfa in the Southwest"
Extension of Alfalfa Growing Into States
Where 1t Is Now Staple Crop. "Exten-
sion Of Cold-Resistant Alfalfas," "Exten-
sion of DTy-Land Alfalfas." Distribution
Of New Varieties OF Cotton" 'Intr0duc-
ton Of Mating Plant and Its Growth in
the United States, The improvement Of
Cowpeas," New Tobacco Varieties. -" In
PRODUCTION and Testing OF AlkaH- Resist
ant Crops. Grains for High Attitudes"
Adaptation Of Winter Oats Sugar
Beet seed Growing" The Improvement OF
Corn, Bulb Growing in the United
States, Cultivation Of Drug Plants
DRY Land ATborculture Work " Intro
duction OF Hardy Apples for the Apple
Breeders" and Introduction and Breed
ing Of Citrus Fruits.
As fast as the department has anything
new under these or other topics. any new
variety OF seeds. or anything new IN the
cultivation of crops. it would furnish the
Congressman or Congressman in the terri
tory especially interested with the seeds
or the information, as the case might be.
and he would have oversight OF the distri-
button TO farmers willing to try the exper-
imeuts and report 10 the Department Of
Agriculture. Illustrating his plan with
reference to drug plants, Dr. Galloway
says:
Might Grow Drug Plants.
we import in the neighborhood Of four
OF five million dollars worth OF drugs
each year. and preliminary investigations
would indicate that considerable portion
OF these drug plants might be grown at
home The work would be applicable TO
nearly all the States bordering on the
Atlantic Ocean, Including New England
and also some Of the Western States,
such as Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin.
and Northern Iowa The object would
be to introduce the seeds OF promising
d I
ton of the crops. this being in co-opera-
ton with individual farmers and others"
Regarding the Introduction Of hardy
apples for the apple breeders, Or. Gallo
way says:
This work would be applicable TO the
entire tier Of Northern States from Maine
to and including Montana The object
would be to find out through a study Of
published accounts Of travellers and ex-
plorers as TO where in different parts of
the world, are to ne found apples or forms
related TO them which are likely 20 be
valuable in the breeding of harder and
more drOught-resistant varieties Of apples
for this Northern country. This work
would be done largely in cooperation
with the experiment stations"
Mating Plants, Too.
The Department Of Agriculture has
been trying for some months TO encour-
age the Introduction OF mating plants
in this country. Now most of those plants
are imported from Japan. we import
about $5000.O00 worth Of mating from
foreign countries" says DR.. Galloway
1T is believed that most of this ma
terial could be made here if the raw
material could be grown. There is plenty
Of land in the States of Texas, Louisiana
Mississippi Alabama, Georgia. and North
and South Carolina which is adapted 10
the growing of this crop. 1t is important
to introduce the best kinds of mating
plants from abroad and to establish the
growing of the crop here 1t is also i'm
portant to improve our own native forms
for this purpose"
TIE department has been sending plant
explorers into various forgotten corners
of the eaTth-to Chinese Tibet and Chi
nese Turkestan after hull-less barleys;
to Russian Turkestan for the naked oat;
to Han Chung for glutinous rices; to
Arabia for dates; and so on. Ii wants to
extend these explorations, which, it is
claimed, have already yielded valuable
results, and to utilize individual farmers
for the development Of the new crops.
In the course OF a few years the de-
partment officials say, the benefits to
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