BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, 187 



Dominion of Canada upon the fundamental principles of dry-land 

 agriculture. It is believed that the sane, conservative, and consistent 

 attitude maintained b}' the bureau for the past 15 years has had 

 much to do in bringing about this condition. 



The results of the work group themselves in three dependent but 

 rather distinct fields: (1) The determination of the possibilities and 

 limitations of agriculture in each section. (2) The determination of 

 the cultural methods b}^ which individual farmers in each section can 

 realize the greatest and most profitable production. (3) The de- 

 termination of fundamental laws and principles of dry farming 

 which maj^ be applied be3"ond the actual zone of experimentation. 



In a region of fluctuating precipitation such as the Great Plains, 

 W'liere conditions may vary from extreme drought and crop failure 

 to abundant rainfall and bumper crops, it is only through the results 

 of a series of years long enough to be representative of both the aver- 

 age and the extreme conditions to be met that such determinations 

 can be made. This was recognized from the inauguration of the 

 work, but is further emphasized by each year's extension of the 

 record. While much is still to be desired in the wav of knowledge 

 of the possibilities of and the best methods of agriculture for this 

 section there is now in hand more trustworthy information than has 

 ever been available before. 



The knowledge of the possibilities of agriculture or of the chances 

 of- success with a particular crop in each section Avas invaluable in 

 deciding the encouragement to be given efforts to stimulate war-time 

 production. It also provides a basis for determining the policy 

 and action to be taken as occasions arise from time to time to en- 

 courage or direct production or to extend relief from drought or 

 other calamity. The information at hand has been used freely by 

 the Geological Survey in classifying public lands under recent home- 

 stead laws. 



The accumulation and study of long-time coordinated results over 

 a wide range of soil and climatic conditions is permitting the formu- 

 lation of fundamental laws and relations between crop production 

 and natural conditions of soil, climate, and vegetation applicable to 

 a much wider field than that covered by experiments. Outside of 

 its importance to the United States, the dry-farming problem is a 

 vital one over a considerable area of the earth's surface. It is grati- 

 fying to note that besides having the confidence and support of our 

 own people our work is attracting more and more the attention and 

 study of the agriculturists of foreign Governments. During the last 

 two years it has been under the observation of representatives of 

 Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Palestine, Argentina, Mexico, Al- 

 geria, Tunis, and Czechoslovakia. 



Good progress was made in the work of breeding and propagating 

 horticultural plants for the northern Great Plains at the Mandan, 

 N. Dak., field station. The first seedlings of native fruit came into 

 bearing, and selections for quality and hardiness were made from 

 them in 1918. This work is being vigorously prosecuted. In shelter- 

 belt demonstration work tliere are now 946 farmers in Montana, 

 "Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota actively cooperating 

 with this station. 



