14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919, 



profitable crop, but it is needed to feed the stock, especially horses. 

 The crop is grown on practically all the farms and ranks as one of 

 the most important in the coiint3\ It does not withstand droughts, 

 however, as well as the other small grains, and is frequently damaged 

 by warm, dry winds or droughts at heading time. The crop gives 

 the best results on the heavier soils. Swedish Select and Kherson are 

 the principal varieties. Yields are very uncertain, but in the best 

 years 40 to 50 bushels per acre are obtained. In the drier years the 

 heads often fail to fill well and the crop is cut for forage. Oats are 

 generally fed to work stock on the farms and ranches where pro- 

 duced. A few farmers, however, grow a surplus, which is sold 

 locally. 



Flax ranks next to oats in acreage. There were Y86 acres devoted 

 to flax in 1918. Only the seed of this crop is utilized. All the flax 

 is sold outside the county. The crop is generally grown on newly 

 broken land. The average yield is about 6 bushels per acre. 



Rye was grown on 524 acres in 1918. The crop is planted chiefly 

 on the heavier soils, and generally for the grain, but it is also grown 

 to some extent for hay and pasture. The yield of grain ranges from 

 10 to 30 bushels per acre, depending upon the rainfall. The crop 

 is quite drought resistant and yields better upon the sandy soils 

 than wheat, but its lower market value tends to prevent any decided 

 increase in acreage. 



Potatoes rank next to rye in acreage, 311 acres being devoted to 

 potatoes in 1918. The crop is grown chiefly for home consumption 

 and very few farmers have a surplus for sale. The principal varieties 

 are Earl}'^ Ohio, Bliss Triumph, and White Eureka. Yields range 

 from 50 to 200 bushels per acre, with an average of about 112 bushels 

 per acre. 



Of the hay crops, alfalfa occupies the largest acreage. It has 

 steadily increased in importance since it was introduced. There were 

 8,870 acres in alfalfa in 1918, as compared with 1,063 acres in 1909. 

 The crop is of local importance for hay and pasture. It is grown to a 

 minor extent on nearly all the upland soils of the county, but does 

 best on the terraces and well-drained parts of the flood plains. In 

 a few places along Pumpkin Creek the terraces are irrigated, and in 

 these localities alfalfa is the principal crop. Under irrigation the 

 crop generally gives three cuttings and yields 2 to 4 tons per acre 

 per season. On unirrigated land the yield is about 2 tons per acre 

 under favorable conditions, the crop usually being cut but twice. 



Wild hay was cut from 4,726 acres in 1918. The crop consists of 

 stipa or needle grass, sand grass, bunch grass, grama grass, buffalo 

 grass, blackroot (a sedge), western wheat grass, and some marsh 

 grasses. The first two named grow on the sandier soils in the Punii:)- 

 kin Creek Valley ; the following five species grow on the heavier soils 



