THE KNOX SILT LOAM. 13 



tucky the area devoted to grass is third in rank, although the yields 

 are fair to good, ranging from three-fourths to 1 tons per acre, 

 with an average of about 1J tons. Only a very limited acreage of 

 tiiese grasses is raised in Nebraska, but the yields are high, averag- 

 ing 1| tons per acre. Instead, the native prairie grasses are fre- 

 quently cut for hay with an extremely variable yield, largely de- 

 pendent upon rainfall. Within recent years alfalfa has been ex- 

 tensively seeded upon the Knox silt loam in eastern Nebraska, pro- 

 ducing good yields, and leading to the more widespread occupation 

 of the type for the production of this crop. 



Barley is raised to a limited extent on the Knox silt loam in north- 

 ern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and eastern Iowa, giving yields of 

 20 to 25 bushels per acre. Rye is occasionally sown, both for pastur- 

 age and as a soiling crop and to a limited extent for the production of 

 grain. Emmer has been sown to a limited degree in eastern Nebraska, 

 chiefly as a forage crop. 



In the counties bordering on the Ohio River, both in southern 

 Indiana and in Kentucky, the Knox silt loam is quite extensively 

 planted to the export tobacco. In fact, the crop largely takes the 

 place of corn as a tilled crop in these localities, the yields varying 

 from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre, with an average in the neighbor- 

 hood of 1,200 pounds. As before stated, the production of this grade 

 of tobacco might well be extended in area at any time when the 

 demand for this class of tobacco is sufficient to increase its price to a 

 point where larger areas would be justified. In southwestern Wis- 

 consin, also, the Knox silt loam is used for the production of cigar- 

 binder tobacco, giving a yield of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds per acre of fair- 

 quality binders. The percentage of wrapper leaves produced is rather 

 low, however, and many tobacco growers prefer more sandy types of 

 soil, where the percentage of wrapper leaves more nearly approaches 

 the percentage of binders in the total crop. For the production of the 

 binders the Knox silt loam is as well suited as any soil type occurring 

 in that part of Wisconsin. 



Irish potatoes are grown locally upon the Knox silt loam, produc- 

 ing from 100 to 250 bushels per acre. The potato crop is principally 

 planted for home use, rather than on a commercial scale. The gen- 

 eral characteristics of the Knox silt loam are such that it should 

 prove an excellent potato soil in the more northern regions where it 

 occurs. The soft, silty nature of the soil, its absorptive capacity for 

 moisture, and its generally well-drained condition are essentials for 

 the profitable production of Irish potatoes. The type is also stone 

 free and easily maintained in good tilth, provided a little care is 

 taken with the intertillage of the crop. Its tendency toward a slightly 

 acid condition does not interfere with potato production, but is 



