4 DRY-LAND GEAINS IN THE GEEAT BASIN. 



Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture" specifies 

 that "the ol)jects of tliese cooperative investigations shall be (1) to 

 improve the cereals of the intermountain region by introducing or 

 producing better varieties than those now grown, especially with 

 regard to drought resistance, yield, quality, earliness, etc.; (2) to 

 conduct such other experiments as might seem advisable for the 

 accomplishment of the greatest possible good to the dry-land 

 interests of the State." 



Most of the experiments being conducted deal directly with the 

 grains, but, as provided in clause 2 above mentioned, a number of 

 tests of other crops and of various farming methods are being made. 

 It is likely that the grains, particularly wheat, will always be the 

 principal crop on the dry lands of the intermountain area. The 

 policy of the cooperators, therefore, is to pursue, so far as possible, 

 any line of investigation that is likely to increase our knowledge of 

 the conditions under which dry-land grains can be most profitably 

 and advantageously produced. The investigations have not been 

 wholly confined to the experiments at the substation. The superin- 

 tendent has matle observations on various farms in different parts of 

 the Mountain States, particularly in Utah, and the information thus 

 gained is freely used in this report. 



While the work has not progressed far enough to warrant the pub- 

 lication of positive conclusions relative to all the experiments, a con- 

 siderable amount of definite information has been obtained. It is 

 thought that this information will be of value to the farmers in the 

 intermountain region. It is for the purpose of acquainting these 

 farmers with the facts secured at and through the Nephi substation 

 and with the scope and character of the experiments being conducted 

 that this report has been prepared. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBSTATION. 



In its agricultural conditions the Nephi substation is fairly repre- 

 sentative of large areas of unirrigated and unirrigable lands in the 

 Intermountain States. The results obtained at Nephi can reasonably 

 be expected to apply broadly to the dry lands in Utah, the southern 

 part of Idaho, sections in eastern and northern Nevada, and possibly 

 in northern Arizona and New Mexico. A* brief description of the 

 substation's location and of its climatic and soil conditions is given 

 here for the use of farniers in different sections of the intermountain 

 area who wish to compare their own agricultural conditions with those 

 under which the experiments here discussed are conducted. The 

 more nearly the climate, soil, etc., of a given locality resemble those 

 at the Nephi substation, the greater the likelihood that the results 

 obtained at Nephi will apply. 



[Cir. 61] 



