THE WORK OF THE BELLE FOURCHE EXPERIMENT FARM 



IN 1912. 1 



By Beyer Aune, Farm Superintendent, Office of Western Irrigation Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The work of the Belle Fourche Experiment Farm consists of a large 

 variety of field experiments, both with and without irrigation. From 

 1907 to 1911 all the experiments were conducted on dry hind, but 



DRY LAND 

 0AT5 



BELLE FOURCHE 

 EXPERIMENT FARM 



4> 



SUMMER 

 FALLOW 



E. 



TIME OF 

 BREAKING LXPT5 



D 



Fig. 1. -Diagram of the Belle "Fourche Experiment Farm, showing the arrangement of the Melds and the 



location of the crop experiments in 1912. 



when water was brought to the farm hi 1912 experiments under irri- 

 gation were inaugurated. The work of the farm includes field tests 

 with grains, forage crops, vegetables, orchard and shade trees, and a 

 number of rotation and tillage experiments. (Fig. 1.) 



i Issued Mar. 29, 1913. 



The Belle Fourche Experiment Farm consists of 280 acres of land on the Belle Fourche (S. Dak.) Reclama- 

 tion Project, of which 100 acres were set aside by Executive order and 120 acres were withdrawn from 

 entry by the Department of the Interior for use as an experiment farm. Operations were commenced in 

 1907. The farm is operated by the Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, and is in charge 

 of the Office of Western Irrigation Agriculture. A farm superintendent, detailed by that office, has general 

 supervision of the experiments. 



[Cir. 119] 



15 



