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Show ALFALFA. This crop is one of the most important im-portant in the West, and yet practically practical-ly no work has been done to improve it. With the object of improving alfalfa al-falfa for hay production under irrigation irri-gation and for producing seed under arid and semi-arid conditions by means of selection and breeding, these experiments have been begun. We have -eight varieties of alfalfa, namely Turkestan, French, German, Oasis, Sand, Arabia, Argentine and Common. Com-mon. Superior individual plants will be selected from each of these varieties varie-ties on the basis of length and thickness thick-ness of stem, number of branches, number of leaves, upright habit of growth, yield per acre, carlincss, etc., for the improvement' of hay strains. For the development of better bet-ter seed strains, selections will be made on th basjs of amount of seed per plant, the p'ercent of pods bearing seeds, hardiness, resistance to drought airtPfrost, habit of growth, carlincss, etc. From theste individual plants other selections and hybridizations will ,bc made from which it is hoped in time to produce strains of alfalfa that will produce more and better hay than that now commonly grow, also strains that will produce more and surer seed than do the common alfalfa as now grown. The best method's of growing alfalfa for hay and for seed w'M be determined as well as other problems pertaining to the growing of alfalfa seed and hay. J. C. HOGpNSON. o |