FORAGE CROPS FOR THE SAND-HILL SECTION OF NEBRASKA. 



TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SAND-HILL AREA. 



The northoni and western parts of this sand-hill area, lying in the 

 counties of Holt, liock. Brown, Cherr}', Sheridan, Morrill, Garden, 

 and (Irant. are characterized as the ''wet-valley region." In this 

 recion the vallevs follow a general east-and-west direction and are 

 usually quite broad and flat at the eastern or lowest end, which in 

 most cases contains a shallow lake of varying dimensions, the largest 

 of these being Dad"s Lake, which is 4 to G miles long and 1 to 2 miles 

 broad. In wet seasons the lakes increase in size and in dry seasons 

 the smaller ones disappear entirely. xVlthough in periods of extreme 

 drought, like that of ISOi, very few of the large lakes dry up com- 

 pletely, their varying size renders the area of the hay meadows 

 which surround them inconstant. 



l"li;. 2. — A blow-onl near Alliiiuce. Xelir. 



The dry- valley region occupies most of the sand-hill section out- 

 side of the counties just named. It lies south of the former, and its 

 distinguishing characteristic is its more abrupt and narrower valleys 

 interspersed Avith ridges of sand hills. These valleys also are inclined 

 in a general east-and-west direction, contain some fairly good soil in 

 the bottoms, and lia\e undergi'ound drainage sufficient to remove the 

 surplus water. This dry-valley region grades insensibly into more 

 irregular and chop]iy sand hills, wliich have no well-defined valleys 

 between them and which contain little or no soil suitable for agricul- 

 tural purposes. These chopp}^ sand hills are found south of Thed- 

 ford and Ilalsey in Thomas County, between the ^Middle Loup and 

 Dismal Rivers. They are entirely useless for agricultural purposes 

 other than grazing. On the tops of manj'^ of the hills are irregular 

 conical depressions in the loose, shifting sand, locally known as 

 " blow-outs." These depressions, swept out and ke^^t clear of vegeta- 



[Clr. 80] 



