THE FARGO CLAY LOAM. 9 



face soil and subsoil. Thus the Fargo clay loam can not be ranked 

 as a special crop soil, but takes its place as the dominant spring- wheat 

 soil of the northwestern region. 



EXTENT OF OCCUPATION. 



Throughout the entire Red River Valley and, in fact, in practically 

 all locations where it occurs nearly every acre of the Fargo clay loam 

 has been occupied for some agricultural purpose. Its level surface, 

 practically uninterrupted even by deeper drainage ways; its treeless 

 prairie condition ; and its deep surface soil of marked fertility all led 

 to its rapid occupation for grain production as soon as transportation 

 facilities for the disposal of the crop were provided in the decade 

 from 1870 to 1880. Even those areas which because of their ex- 

 tremely level surface and poorly established drainage have remained 

 in a semiswampy condition are occupied for the grazing of cattle and 

 for the cutting of wild marsh hay. With the increasing demand for 

 land in the general region, attention was turned to the artificial drain- 

 age of such areas, and many of them have now been brought under 

 more intensive occupation for the production of grain and the tame 

 grasses. Thus it may be said that practically the entire extent of the 

 Fargo clay loam is now occupied by farms, varying in size from 160 

 acres to many thousands of acres in the single holding. Any in- 

 creased development of the type must therefore take the direction of 

 more intensive cultivation rather than of more extensive occupation. 

 Probably 90 per cent of the entire area of the type is now occupied for 

 some agricultural use. 



CROP ADAPTATIONS. 



Spring wheat exceeds in acreage that of all other crops combined 

 in the extent of its production upon the Fargo clay loam; in fact, 

 it is the one crop of great importance. In the pioneer days the 

 previously unbroken prairie was plowed and sown to wheat. This 

 was the only crop grown, with the exception of a small acreage of 

 oats and barley used to feed the horses kept upon the farm. Taking 

 advantage of the natural productivity of the soil, wheat was grown 

 year after year without either careful preparation of the soil or any 

 crop rotation. In addition to the plowing of the land, which was 

 usually done during the fall and early winter months, the ground 

 was lightly harrowed just before seeding time in spring. In many 

 instances, however, the harrowing was omitted and the wheat was 

 sown directly on the plowed land. 



At the present time much the same practice is followed, except that 

 the introduction of improved machinery has permitted deeper break- 

 ing of the land, and in practically all cases the soil is harrowed before 

 being seeded to the wheat. 



