330 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



been drawn for particular farms, and these plans have been put into 

 <)peration. On these farms the cost of every phase of management 

 is being studied in detail. Many of the best farmers in the State 

 are adopting cropping systems and methods recommended by the 

 joint representatives of this Department and the state agricultural 

 college. 



WESTERN FARM-MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS. 



The farm-management work in the West is under the general 

 direction of Mr. Levi Chubbuck, Expert. In certain sections investi- 

 gations have been in progress for several years with excellent results. 



Study of western farming conditions. — The problems of the 

 AVest differ from those of any other section of the country because of 

 the difference in conditions. Farming is new in man}'^ sections of 

 the West, and in only a few localities have the problems involved 

 in farm practice been worked out and stable forms of agriculture 

 adopted. Exploitive types of farming are still quite general. In 

 many localities these exploitive methods of farming have been highly 

 profitable because of the inherent richness of the virgin soil, but even 

 m these sections the soils are becoming exhausted and the types of 

 farming are changing. 



A careful study of farm practice in the Great Plains region has 

 been made during the past four years and the results have recently 

 been submitted for publication. During the past year attention has 

 been giA^en to the problems confronting new settlers on recently re- 

 claimed sandy lancls along the Columbia River in Oregon and Wash- 

 ington. Important conclusions were drawn from the results of farm 

 experience and methods worthy of recommendation were recently 

 published in a circular of this Bureau. 



Farm practice with sugar beets. — During recent years a serious 

 situation has arisen in regions where the sugar beet is grown. In 

 the vicinity of many factories the average yield of beets is less than 

 7| tons per acre. In order that sugar beets may compete with other 

 crops the average yield must be not less than 10 tons per acre, and the 

 best authorities say that an average of 12 tons is necessary to render it 

 certain that farmers will grow sufficient beets to enable the factories 

 to run on full time. A study of farm experience has been undertaken 

 to ascertain the conditions necessary for producing satisfactory yields 

 Df this crop. This study has shown that in many places new lands 

 recently put under irrigation are lacking in humus and therefore 

 in producing power for such crops as these. It has been shown 

 that men who grow beets in rotation with forage crops, keep live 

 stock, and make proper use of the manure thus produced obtain good 

 yields of beets. In some instances yields of over 20 tons to the acre 

 have been obtained. In this work we are cooperating with the Office 

 of Sugar Plant Investigations of this Bureau, which conducts experi- 

 mental work with this crop. 



STUDIES OF FARM PROBLEMS. 



In addition to the general district work already referred to, the 

 Office of Farm Management is engaged upon a number of lines of 

 investigation bearing upon various matters of farm management or 

 farm practice. 



