60 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. 



SUMMARY. 



Banner County is situated in western Nebraska, bordering the 

 State of Wyoming. It comprises an area of 745.5 square miles, or 

 477,120 acres. The county lies in the western part of the Great Plains 

 Province. The surface varies from flat or gently undulating to 

 rough and dissected. The elevation ranges from 3,940 feet to 5,240 

 feet above sea level. 



Drainage is generally good throughout the county. The northern 

 part is drained by Pumpkin Creek and the southern part by Lfaw- 

 rence Fork and its tributaries. 



Settlement of the county began in 1885 and in 1889 the county 

 was organized. The 1910 census gives the population as 1,444. It is 

 all classed as rural and mostly as native-born whites. Harrisburg, 

 the county seat, is located in the central part of the area. 



There are no railroads in the county. All the public highways are 

 of earth. In the southwestern and northwestern parts they are in 

 good condition ; elsewhere they do not, as a rule, follow section lines 

 and are not well maintained. 



There are no markets within the county. The grain and live-stock 

 products are shipped from Kimball or Scottsbluif to eastern markets. 



The climate of Banner County is characterized by cold winters 

 and relatively short summers. There are wide extremes of heat and 

 cold. The mean annual temperature is 47.4° F. and the average 

 growing season is 129 days. The mean annual rainfall is about 16 

 inches, three-fourths of which falls during the growing season. High 

 winds may occur at any time during the year, but are seldom de- 

 structive to property. 



The early agriculture consisted of stock raising on the open range. 

 This was followed by a decline in the stock-raising industry and 

 most of the farmers depended largely upon grain crops. The dry 

 years following 1890 made grain growing unprofitable, and the farm- 

 ers have gradually adopted a combined system of grain growing and 

 cattle ranching. 



Wheat occupies the largest acreage among the cultivated crops and 

 is the chief cash crop. Corn, oats, flax, rye, and potatoes rank in im- 

 portance in the order named. Alfalfa is the principal hay crop. It 

 occupies an acreage about twice that from which wild hay is har- 

 vested. 



By far the greater part of Banner County is used as grazing land 

 and liA'C-stock raising is the most important industry. According to 

 the 1910 census, the value of live-stock products exceeded that of all 

 crops combined. Cattle and horses are the chief source of income. 

 Hogs are raised only in an experimental way. There are only a few 

 sheep in the county. 



