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<br />materials that have possible value in soil and <br />water conservation work. This work is done at <br />18 plant materials centers strategically located <br />in the principal plant-growth regions of the <br />United States. Some are operated by the Soil <br />Conservation Service, others cooperatively with <br />land grant colleges. Potentially useful plant <br />materials are evaluated in the field to determine <br />their soil and climatic adaptation, growth and <br />seed habits, and their potential conservation <br />values. Plant performance is evaluated jointly <br />with state experiment station personnel, farmers, <br />ranchers and state and federal agencies that are <br />engaged in similar work. Supplies of certified <br />materials are increased by members of crop- <br />improvement associations, soil conservation dis- <br />trict cooperators and commercial nurserymen. <br /> <br />The plant Materials Center that the New <br />Mexico State Experiment Station and SCS operate <br />is at Los Lunas, New Mexico and it serves New <br />Mexico and Colorado. The Center develops new <br />and improved varieties of grasses, shrubs, and <br />so on, for conservation purposes. This isn't <br />only for farms. We have two agreements in New <br />Mexico with the game and fish department there <br />and the department of highways to develop im- <br />proved species for specific uses for those <br />departments. Most of these, however, are devel- <br />oped for on farm or ranch use. Examples of newly <br />developed grains include Vaughn side-oatsgrama, <br />Grenville switch grass, Llano Indian grass, Amur <br />Intermediate wheatgrass, Largo tall wheat, <br />Lovington Blue grama, pastura Little bluestem, <br />Elida Sand bluestem, Luna pubescent wheatgrass, <br />and Jose' tall wheatgrass. Virtually all of the <br />new grasses that have been developed in Colorado <br />for Colorado in the last ten or fifteen years <br />have come from this source. <br /> <br />Something I know you gentlemen would be <br />particularly interested in, the relation of <br />water, our work in snow surveys and water supply <br />forecasts. The SCS makes and coordinates snow <br />surveys in the West and in Alaska, and prepares <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />