AGRICULTURAL OBSERVATIONS ON TRUCKEE-CARSON PROJECT. 7 



RAINFALL. 



The rainfall in the region of the Truekee-Carson project is so light 

 as to be of little benefit to growing crops. Table IV gives the 

 monthly precipitation for the five years fOOC) to 11)10, inclusive. 



Table IW—Anniitil rainfall at Fallon, Nev., 1906-JDlO.' 



Month. 



January 



February.. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. 



October 



November. 

 December. . 



190C. 



0.76 



72 



.57 



.01 



Trace. 



.29 



Trace. 



.44 



1.56 



1907. 



0.39 



.30 



1.40 



1.06 



.39 



.66 



Trace. 



.38 



.12 



.41 



.21 



.48 



Total annual . 



5.80 



1908. 



I 



1909. 



0.49 

 .48 

 .02 

 .28 

 .92 

 .05 

 .15 

 .02 

 .62 

 .17 

 Trace. 

 .07 



3.27 



0.60 

 .25 

 .74 

 .19 



. .02 

 .27 

 Trace. 

 .06 

 .41 

 .70 

 .71 



1.30 



5.25 



1910. 



1.98 

 .04 

 .10 

 .28 

 .0 

 .10 

 .05 

 .0 

 .45 

 .46 

 .02 

 .66 



4.14 



Average. 



0.86 

 .29 

 .56 

 .51 

 .41 

 .33 

 .04 

 .09 

 ..■J8 

 .35 

 .28 

 .81 



4.91 



1 Compiled from ofTicial reports of the United States Weather Bureau. 



TREE PLANTING ON THE PROJECT. 



Tree planting should be one of the first things undertaken by each 

 farmer, so that windbreaks may be established as soon as possible. 

 The}^ should be arranged so as to protect the gardens, farm build- 

 ings, and orchards from the south and west winds. The larger fields 

 may also be protected by planting rows of trees along the west sides. 

 The best trees to use for the purpose are the Carolina poplar, balm 

 of Gilead, black locust, Russian oleaster, and tamarisk. 



CAROLINA POPLAR. 



The Carolina poplar {Popuhis deltoides carolinensis) is a rapid- 

 growing tree that can be propagated easily from cuttings. It is 

 closely related to the common cottonwood, but is more symmetrical 

 in shape and seems to make more rapid growth. Ten-inch cuttings 

 set out in April. 1910, at the experiment farm made a growth of 4 

 to 8 feet during that season. Nurserymen have propagated it by 

 means of cuttings from staminate or male trees onh'^ ; therefore, it 

 does not have the disagreeable habit of shedding " cotton " each 

 spring. The chief value of the Carolina poplar is for fuel, windbreak, 

 and ornamental purposes. The wood is too soft to be of much value 

 for timber or for fence posts unless a i^reservative is used. Cuttings 

 may be obtained by local farmers from the Truckee-Carson Experi- 

 ment Farm. 



[Cir. 78] 



