and Siberia; alfalfas from Siberia; date palms from North Africa,
Arabia, and Persia; the pistachio nut from Greece and Sicily;
vanilla and peaches from Mexico; barleys and hops from Europe;
rices and matting rushes from Japan; forage grasses from India;
tropical fruits from South America. It experiments in the breeding
of hardy and disease-resisting grains, fruits, and vegetables,
studies soil fertility, investigates the medicinal qualities of
plants, tests seeds, and improves agricultural implements. Its
experiments are conducted in experimental gardens in Washington,
D.C., at Arlington, Va., and at the experiment stations
distributed widely over the United States.

This bureau does much educational work, instructing farmers how to
control plant diseases and how to organize for cooperation in the
breeding of disease-resisting plants, and conducting
demonstrations on reclaimed lands in arid regions. During 1916 it
distributed, through members of Congress, 356,000 tulip and
narcissus bulbs, 96,000 strawberry plants of 15 varieties, 14,000
packages of lawn grass seed, and more than 16,000,000 packages of
vegetable and flower seeds.

THE BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY studies the influence of environment on
crops and plants; investigates the quality of mill products, the
methods of bread making, of tanning leather, and of paper making.
It tests the food values of all kinds of products, the keeping
quality of poultry, eggs, and fish in the course of
transportation, and the composition of drugs. It is called upon by
other departments of government to make chemical analysis of many
articles.