The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-06-04
FETERITA FOR FORAGE
PROVES OF IMMENSE VALUE IN
sEMI.ARiD COUNTRY.
Approximately $1,000 Packages OF
Drousht-Resistant Seeds pistrlb-
uted by United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture.

prepared by tho United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
The department Of agriculture dur
ing 1918, under an appropriation Of
congress, distributed approximately
$1,000 packages OF drought-resistant
field seeds. Each OF these packages
contained a sufficient quantity Of seed
to plant one acre, and this when sue
cessful supplied the grower with seed
for a much larger area the following
year. The crops included In this dis.
tribution were improved hardy and
drought-resistant alfalfas. new varie
ties OF field peas. improved strains OF
millets, Feterita and Sudan grass.
Those In charge OF this distribution
have rendered the following report as
to the results obtained from the plant
ing OF these seeds:
Feterita, grain and forage sorghum
similar to kafir and milo. and Sudan
grass, a wild form OF sorghum some
what coarser than millet, demon
strated beyond doubt their immense
value to the country. Notwithstand-
Ing the extreme drought which oc-
CURED throughout almost the entire
growing season, these crops came to
maturity and furnished forage where
practically all other crops failed
Seeds of these varieties are at the
present time greatly in demand and
command a price far in excess of the
ordinary sorghums or millets. The
Amraoti and Bangalia varieties OF
peas demonstrated their superiority
over the common strains for dry-land
farming and have created for them
selves strong demand In sections
where they we're tested. New millets
also proved very promising. and, 50
far as can be determined from one
years results. this improved alfalfa
will go far toward establishing this
crop in sections too dry or too cold
for the common strains.
In addition to alfalfa, Feterita, and
| Sudan grass. the distribution this year
will include field peas. millets. i'm
proved strains Of sorghums. wheat.
and Tepary beans. The last-named
crop is especially drought.resistant.
and Is very promising in the south
western portion of the Great Plains
region as an article for human food.
The most promising and immediate
results that are expected from the
distribution Of seed Of dry-land field
crops are the establishment in general
use Of two valuable crops-Feterita
and Sudan grass: the making avail.
able Of hardy and drought-resistant
strains OF alfalfa which virtually will
make this crop success over large
areas where II can not now be grown
successfully; and the introduction Of
new and highly promising crops.
among which may be mentioned q
new sorghum, the Freed variety, q
semisweet sorghum which Is highly
droughtresistant and valuable. both
for grain and forage, and the Tepary
bean for human food.
Seeds Of these new crops are not as
yet staple commodities on the market,
and distribution such as has been
conducted will go far toward making
them generally available to farmers
in the dry-land sections.
As for the broader aspects OF the
project. It is largely to the crops Just
indicated that the farmer must look
Tor success In dry-land farming.