The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1907-02-16
Arid Land plants.

D6SeFl IlN3Hlng news SClentlnC
| soil treatment and Intelligent propo-
Egation of plants and cereals promise to
laccompfish wonderful results through,
| out the entire west. And behind this
great work stands one man. more or
| less, with an experience and judgment
that are priceless. That man is Sec
retary of Agriculture Wilson. While
he is a friend of the transmissouri re-
gion and knows its needs perhaps as
/ Well as any man living, his interest
| is by no means sectional. A few years
ago he saw vast rice raising possibil-
/ ities iii Texas and went to work with
the industry and singleness of purpose
| that has ever characterized his official
career The result is Texas is not
only supplying the rice demands of
the United States today, but is export
| ing quantities.
For some time Secretary Wilson has
been making a special study of plants
and cereals adapted to the dry and
colder parts of the United States
Speaking of some of his experiments
he recently said: "We have failed to
make plants that need moisture grow
| in the dry regions, and. if we conquer
4
| out of the arid and semi-arid regions.
we've got to find plants that will en-
| dure the severeSt winters; that will
grow in dry ground and pay the
farmers a profit. That's the problem
before us.
| Secretary Wilson explains that away
up intthe middleoof ASIA, which is
called The Roof of the World" we're
isome plants that he wanted to get and
| experiment with in our own country.
So he sent Prof. Niels e. Hansen of
the department of agriculture after
them The people there have been sue
cessfully cuitivating them for genera
| tion under conditions and in soil eli
innate similar to our own. Professor
Hansen was therefore dispatched for
samples .that would be suitable for our
| semi-a arid belt and would proftably
rotate with durum wheat all the way
| from the Panhandle" to Alaska. Prof.
Hansen has been three times in Russia
and twice in Siberia, His first trip
was made in 1894 and was for study.
The department of agriculture sent
him over in 1897 on plant hunting
iexpedition and he brought back some
very important species. He was sent
again in 1906 and has returned with
I1hfee kinds of alfalfa--two that will
grow in dry soil with light rainfall and
intense cold. and one that will grow
in the woods. In America they are
Ientirely new varieties but they have
grown on the cold, dry steppes of
northern Asia for centuries. They
have. yellow flower, while our alfalfa
has a blue flower. These seeds are to
lbe tried in South Dakota during the
current year by Professor Hansen.
lThey will be. planted and cultivated
with view to securing the largest
possible yield. After he meets with
| the success he fully expects, he will.
Under the direction of Secretary Will
/ ison, distribute seed among the farmers
Iof the arid belt. to use as a compile
ment to wheat as a rotating crop.
Fhe plant is very luxuriant and thrifty
land much is hoped from it.
In addition to this hardy alfalfa.
which, viii. doubtless soon find ITS
way into Utah. Professor Hansen Sc
cured several new species Of clover.
with which the natives Of northern
Siberia fatten their stock and make
nay 1t grows in the coldest regions
IN short summer with very little.
/ rainfall, and 1t is believed that it win
/ 90 quite, as we'll in the United States
/ under similar conditions.