Soil survey of banner county, Nebraska. 13 



crop. The early settlers came from corn-producing regions and en- 

 deavored to raise the crop with which they were most familiar. The 

 shortness of the growing season, however, makes the crop very un- 

 certain, and by 1909, oats and wheat occupied acreages larger than 

 corn. The table shows a decided decrease in the acreage of most 

 crops between 1889 and 1899 and a gradual increase during the fol- 

 lowing decade. 



The agriculture at the present time consists of a combined system 

 of grain growing and cattle ranching. The level table-land in the 

 southern part of the county is used mostly for grain production. The 

 rest of the land, including the Pumpkin Creek Valley and the areas 

 of Eougli broken land, is used for the grazing of beef cattle and 

 horses and the production of hay and grain for feed. Most of the 

 farms and ranches grow a few garden vegetables for home needs. 



Wheat is now the most important grain crop, ranking first in 

 acreage in the county. The report of the Nebraska State Board of 

 Agriculture shows there were 29,427 acres devoted to wheat in 1918, 

 about three-fourths of this acreage being planted to spring varieties. 

 Turkey is the chief winter wheat and durum wheats the principal 

 kinds used for spring sowing. Most of the wheat is grown on the 

 heavier soils, as there is considerable danger of drifting by the hea^'y 

 winds of the fall and spring on the sandy soils. The average yield 

 of spring wheat is less than that of winter wheat, but the spring 

 varieties seem better adapted to the sandy lands, and the durum 

 varieties are especially popular on account of their drought-resisting 

 qualities. The average yield of winter wheat is 22 bushels per acre 

 and that of spring wheat 19 bushels per acre. Wlieat is the chief 

 cash crop of the county and is nearly all shipped to outside markets. 

 The quality is generally good. 



Corn ranks second in importance among the grain crops. The 

 Nebraska State Board of Agriculture reports 8,221 acres in corn in 

 1918, with a total production of 172,704 bushels. Warm, dry winds 

 and droughts in some years cause considerable damage to this crop. 

 Owing to the high altitude and the shortness of the growing season 

 only the earliest maturing varieties are planted, principall}'^ Blue and 

 "^Yliite Squaw corn, Small Yellow Dent, and Small Calico Dent. 

 These produce smaller stalks and ears than the varieties grown in the 

 eastern part of the State. The yields show Avide variations through 

 a period of years, ranging from complete failure to 25 or 30 bushels 

 per acre. The grain is used for feeding work stock and cattle. A few 

 farmers grow more corn than they need and sell the surplus in the 

 community, but the demand is greater than the supply, and some corn 

 is annually shipped in from the corn belt. 



Oats were grown on 8,071 acres in 1918 and gave an average yield 

 of 30 bushels per acre. Most farmers do not consider oats a very 



