Bisbee daily review., 1909-07-10
INDUSTRY
 EXPERIMENTS !
Agricultural Bureau Conducts Tests of Reseeding Over
 Grazed Areas
CALIFORNIA DESERT PLANT
 VALUABLE CATTLE FOOD

In connection with the bureau of plant industry of the department of agriculture, the forest service has been carrying on a series of experi- ments relative to the reseeding of
 over grazed areas upon the national forests in the west.
 Among other important forage plants selected for experimental work is the common alfilaria (Erodium eicuturium) of the southwestern des- ert country. This splendid forage plant grows all over the deserts of southern California, Arizona and New Mexico and furnishes one of the best
 plants for fattening live stock, espe- cially sheep, known to the stockmen It grows in the early spring when green feed is most desirable and in
 few weeks will cover the desert with a rich green blanket until 1t looks almost like an alfalfa field. The plant generally reaches a maxi. mum 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 Cali fornia, in the wool of migrating
 sheep. into the adjoining states. but while it win grow at high attitudes, 1t does not reach any great height
 above an elevation Of 5000 feet.
 The first obstacle the government experts ran against vas the impossi. biiity Of obtaining seed in the open
 markets that would germinate. The seed commands high price and is hard to obtain. but of samples pur- chased from various seed houses the germinating 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-germi- hating power of the seeds purchased.
 the forest service sent one of its
 plant experts. Arthur W. Sampson,
 into the field in southern California
 where alfilaria was known to be most
 abundant, with orders to gather seed
 of this plant and make a careful
 study of the conditions governing it's
 growth
 This has been dcne and it is very
 evident that if the seed can be gath cred at the proper time and under
 proper conditions, it will have high
 germinating power. Samples of the
 seed gathered by Mir. Sampson show ed germination of over 91 per cent
 which is certainly high enough to be
 satisfactory to any purchased Mir
 Sampson has been able to outline a
 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 se-
 cured with high germinative power
 with which to make experimental
 plantings on several Of the national
 forests where this plant would make an admirable addition to the local for
 age supply. Afilaria. under normal conditions. seems to be best in soil composed mostly of decomposed gran
 ite, but 1t is believed it will flourish
 in most light sandy soils where there is sufficient moisture in the
 early spring to 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 germinatiye strength.