EFFECT OF FARM MANURE IN STIMULATING THE 

 YIEIvDS OF IRRIGATED FIEI.D CROPS 



By C. S. ScoFiELD 



Agriculturist in Charge, Western Irrigation Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture 



LOCATION OF THE EXPERIMENTS 



The experiments reported in this paper were conducted at three field 

 stations operated by the Bureau of Plant Industry. These stations are 

 all located in the northern Great Plains and fairly represent conditions 

 in that portion of the area lying in the eastern parts of Wyoming and 

 Montana and in the western parts of Nebraska and South Dakota. 



The three stations are as follows: (i) The Scottsbluff Station/ located 

 on the North Platte Reclamation Project, north of Scottsbluff and east 

 of Mitchell, Nebr. ; (2) the Belle Fourche Station, located on the Belle 

 Fourche Reclamation Project, about 30 miles east of Belle Fourche, 

 near the town of Newell, S. Dak. ; (3) the Huntley Station,^ located on 

 the Huntley Reclamation Project about 20 miles east of Billings, near 

 the town of Huntley, Mont. 



Each of these stations represents a large section of irrigated land, not 

 only that included within the limits of individual reclamation projects 

 but even more extended areas which are adjacent in the same drainage 

 basins. The climate of the whole section is essentially semiarid in char- 

 acter, with an average annual precipitation of about 14 inches, most of 

 which occurs in the spring and early summer, and with a frost-free grow- 

 ing season of about 125 days. The altitude of Scottsbluff is 4,000 feet, 

 while Belle Fourche and Huntley are both 3,000 feet above sea level. 



AGRICULTURAL AND SOIL CONDITIONS OF THE REGION 



The agriculture of the region is relatively new, there having been very 

 little crop production prior to 1890, and the present era of development 

 may be said to have begun about 1900. During the 30 years or more 

 preceding the beginning of crop production, the region was utilized 

 chiefly as range land for cattle and horses. In recent years, despite the 

 extension of dry-farming and irrigation, the use of the range lands for 

 live-stock production has continued, and this industry remains an impor- 

 tant one throughout the region. 



' The work of this field station is conducted and supported cooperatively by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and the Nebraska State Experiment Station. 



' The work at this field station is conducted and supported cooperatively by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and the Montana State Experiment Station. 



Journal of Agricultixral Research, Vol. XV, No. 9 



Washington, D. C. Dec. 2, 1918 



gl Key No. G-164 



(493) 



