HANSEN, Niels Ebbesen, horticulturist and plant breeder: b. Ribe, Denmark, 4 Jan. 1866, and migrated with his parents to the United States in 1873. He graduated from the Iowa State College of Agriculture in 1887. He • followed practical horticulture and nursery work from 1888 to 1891, when he was made as sistant professor of horticulture in the Iowa State College, a position which he held until he was made professor of horticulture in the South Dakota Agricultural College, and horti culturist of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, in 1895. In 1894, he spent four months in studying horticulture in eight different European countries. In 1897-98, he spent 10 months in an agricultunal and horti cultural exploration of Russia, Siberia, Turke stan and western China, for the United States Department of Agriculture, during the course of which he collected many seeds and plants of economic importance for introduction into the United States. In 1906, he made a similar tour
under the same auspices through parts of Lap land, Finland, Russia Siberia, Manchuria and Japan, and again, in 1908-09, when he spent nine months in exploring Siberia, Mongolia, Turke stan, Transcaucasia and northern Africa. He is the originator of a number of varieties of new fruits, including several hybrid plums of unusual hardiness and excellence, and he is known as the introducer of the Turkestan and Siberian alfalfas, which endure the extremely low temperatures of the northern portions of the Great Plains region. In addition to writing numerous bulletins and papers on horticultural topics, he has published two books, namely, 'Handbook of Fruit-Culture and Tree-Plant ing' (in Danish Norwegian), 1890, and tematic Pomology' (with Prof. J. L. Budd, 1903).