2 



periment Station by the people of the county in which Highmore is 

 situated for the purpose of testing dry -land grasses and forage plants 

 and experiments in range renovation. The soil of the land selected 

 and the climatic conditions are fairly representative of the great 

 range region of western Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, 

 Wyoming, and Montana. It is on the high rolling prairie which 

 separates the valleys of the Missouri and James rivers and about 

 equidistant from each. The soil is a rich, sandy Ipam containing 

 little or no alkali and, with sufficient moisture, would produce good 

 yields of the ordinary farm crops. The subsoil is the yellow bowlder 

 clay characteristic of the drift soils in the Northwest. The Station 

 is equipped with a seed house 14 by 22 feet, 14- stories high, with a 

 lean-to 14 by 22 feet for a tool shed, a cistern and the necessary tools 

 for planting and cultivating the crops. 



Between 40 and 50 acres lying close to the railroad were broken up 

 in 1884 and 1885 and cultivated for a number of years. This land 

 was then left idle and grew up to weeds and native grasses or "went 

 back," as the common saying is. It had not been plowed for six or 

 seven years. Beginning on the south side, series of plats were laid 

 off, each series being eight rods wide. These were again divided into 

 quarter-acre plats, each plat being 5 by 8 rods, and numbered con- 

 secutively, beginning at the east. There are 30 plats in each series. 

 The spries are lettered A, B, C, etc. Series A and B and about one- 

 half of series C were plowed 6 inches in depth with a common stirring 

 plow. About thirty permanent plats were sown. Most of these 

 made a good growth but those sown broadcast are mixed with the 

 native grasses, western wheat grass {Agropyron spicatum) being 

 most prevalent. Quite a number of annuals were planted and the 

 rest of the ground plowed was sown to millet or planted to corn to 

 keep the weeds down. 



Rain and snowfall at Highmore, S. Dak., for the years 1897, 1898, 1899, as observ- 

 ed by Mr. J. C. Stoner. 



1897. 



1898. 



1899. 



Month. 



February . 

 March — 



April 



Rain or 

 snow. 



May 



June 



July 



Augiist 



September 



October 



November . 



December. 

 Total - 



Snow... 

 ...do.... 

 Rain ... 

 Snow... 

 Rain ... 

 Rain ... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do...- 

 Snow... 

 Rain ... 

 Snow... 

 Rain ... 

 Snow... 

 J Snow.. 

 ) Rain .. 



Inches. 



Month. 



8. 

 11. 



1.6 

 13. 



2.32 

 .51 



2.79 



3.75 



1.45 

 .41 



2. 



1.05 



4. 

 .08 



3.5 

 41.5 

 13.88 



Rain or 

 snow. 



Inches. 



Month. 



February.. Snow... 2. 



March Rain ... 1.40 



April - do — 1.51 



May ...do — ' 4.17 



June ...do.... 1.67 



July .•..do.... 2.33 



August L..do — .62 



Rest of year missing. 



Total, Feb. to Sept. 1 : 



Snow, 2. inches. 

 Rain, 11.70 inches. 



Rain or 

 snow. 



January ... Snow.. 



Rain 

 February..' Snow... 



March ; Snow... 



April |.-.do — 



Rain ... 

 May Snow... 



Rain ... 



June do — 



July ,...do — 



August ;...do — 



September . j . . . do — 

 October do — 



Inches. 



2.6 



.11 

 .50 

 14.50 

 6. 



1.4 



.5 



3.75 



4.2 



1.81 



2.19 



.48 



.81 



Total to October 22 : 



Snow, 23.6 inches. 

 Rain, 14.-67 inches. 



