Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-07-09
EXPERIMENTS WITH
ALFILARIA SEED
Under Normal Conditions It Does
Best i'm Decomposed
Granite.

In connection with the Bureau of
Plant Industry of the Department of
Agriculture, the Forest Service has
been carrying on series of expert
ments relative to the re-seedng of
over-grazed areas upon the National
Forests in the west.
Among other important forage
plants selected for experimental
work is the common alfilaria Gro
dium Cicutarium) of the south
western desert country. This splen-
did forage plant grows all over the
deserts of southern California, Ariz-
ona and New Mexico and furnishes
one of the best plants for fattening
live stock, especially sheep, known
to the stockmen. 1t grows in the
early spring when green feed is most
desirable and in few weeks will
cover the desert with rich green
blanket until it looks almost like
an alfalfa field. The plant generally
reaches maximum height of from
eight to ten inches inside of six
weeks and in six weeks more has all
died down and blown away leaving
the ground as bare as a floor. The
seeds Of this plant have been carried
from California in the wool of mi
gratory sheep into the adjoining
states, but while it will grow at high
attitudes, it does not reach any great
height above an elevation of 5000
feet.
The first obstacle the government
experts ran against was the impos-
mating power of the seeds purchased
markets that would germinate. The
seed commands a high price and is
hard to obtain, but Of samples pur-
chased from various seed houses the
terminating power was never higher
than thirteen per cent and the aver
age Of several samples was about
eight per cent
In order to determine, if possible,
where the fault lay in the non-germ-
mating power of the seds purchased,
the Forest Service sent one of its
plants experts, Arthur w. Sampson,
into the field in southern California
where alfilaria was known to be most
with orders to gather
seed Of this plant and make a care
full study of the conditions govern
ing its growth.
This has been done and 1t is very
evident that If the seed can be ga
thered at the proper time and under
proper conditions, 1t will have a high
terminating power. Samples of the
seed gathered by Mr.. Sampson show
ed termination of over ninety-one
per cent which is certainly high
enough to be satisfactory to any pur-
chaser. Mr.. Sampson has been able
to outline method of gathering this
seed by which one man can gather
a very large amount with very little
trouble, Enough of the seed can be
easily secured with a high germina-
tive power with which to make ex-
perimental paintings on several Of
the National Forests where this
plant would make an admirable ad-
dition to the local forage supply. AL
filarla, under normal conditions.
seems to be best in soil composed
mostly of decomposed granite, but It
IS believed It will flourish in most
light sandy soils where there IS suf-
ficient moisture in the early spring
60 start the growth
Now that the Forest Service has
shown how to gather the seeds there
is no doubt but that the local seed
men will avail themselves Of the ex-
pertinent and that In future the
grade Of seed sold by seed men will
be Of much better germinative
strength.