AGRICULTURAL OBSERVATIONS ON TRUCKEE-CARSON PROJECT. 19 



will make it possible to keep the ground water below the limit of 

 serious harm. 



Windstorms severe enough to kill new seedings of alfalfa and 

 injure small garden stuff occur occasionally in the spring. This diffi- 

 culty may bo obviated by ])lanting windbreaks, whicli should be one 

 of tiie first things undertaken. Carolina pojjhir, Norway poplar, Cot- 

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

 are desirable trees for this jMirpose. 



Records for six j^ears show a maximum temperature at Fallon of 

 103° F. and a minimum of —15° F. As a general rule, farm opera- 

 tions are carried on throughout the winter months. The length of 

 the summer period varies in different parts of the project, and the 

 local topography has considerable influence on the occurrence of 

 frosts. The rainfall of the project is so light as to be of little benefit 

 to crops, the average fall for the past five years at Fallon being 4.91 

 inches. 



The land may be cleared of brush by grubbing, dragging, or disk- 

 ing. ]\Iost of the land can be cleared and leveled at a cost of $15 to 

 $35 an acre. 



Alfalfa is the principal source of income to the farmers. Three 

 cuttings are secured, and the average yield is about 1 tons per acre. 

 Barley and Avheat have been grown to some extent, but under most 

 conditions grain is not as profitable as alfalfa. The overproduction 

 of alfalfa without sufficient live stock to consume it, with a conse- 

 quent low price of the hay, is a possible danger. Grain, pearl millet, 

 sorghum, and corn may be grown as hay crops, but as yet no forage 

 crop has been found to replace alfalfa. 



There are at present no successful pastures on the project where a 

 mixture of grasses has been used. With pure alfalfa or clover there 

 is always danger of bloat with dairy and beef cattle, and suitable 

 grasses for pasture are much needed. 



There are as yet no commercial orchards on the project, but there 

 are sections where fruit growing might become commercially prof- 

 itable. Home orchards have been profitable in the past. Apples and 

 pears are the surest bearers, but peaches, domestica plums, prunes, 

 quinces, apricots, nectarines, cherries, grapes, and such small fruits 

 as currants, gooseberries, and strawberries are also grown. Specific 

 varieties of fruits can not at this time be recommended. 



Experiments with sugar beets show that this ci'op may be profitably 

 grown on river-bottom soil, sandy-desert soil, and the black soil of 

 certain districts. The establishment of a sugar-beet factory on the 

 project will ])i()bably give impetus to this industry. 



[Cir. 78] 



