18 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. 



tr<jul)lo lias Ix'on oxporieiu't'd in ohtainiiii:' a cioj). IIea\'y stands 

 have been diHiciilt to obtain because of winter killing. 



Pastures are fienerally permanent. Most of the pastures are lo- 

 cated on poorly drained Webster soil, which, because of an abundant 

 moisture supply throu«rh the dry season, furnishes an excellent 

 growth of blue grass, the principal pasture grass. 



Millet is grown on a small acreage, some sorghum is raised for 

 forage and hogging down. 



Alfalfa has received jH-actically no attention until within the last 

 few years. It is being successfully grown and gives 8 cuttings, aver- 

 aging 8 to 3 1 tons per acre for the season. Northern-grown seed, 

 mostly the Grim variety from the Dakotas and Minnesota, is gener- 

 ally used. 



Sweet clover grows luxuriantly along the roadside over the entire 

 county. It is grown on a few farms for hay and pasture. 



Potatoes are a crop of minor importance, being grown on 1,051 

 acres in 1919 Avith an acreage yield of 42 bushels. Small fields of 1 

 to 3 or 4 acres are most common. In normal seasons enough are grown 

 for consumption on the farm, with a surplus that nearly supplies the 

 local market. Early Ohio, Rural Xew Yorker, Irish Cobbler, and 

 Burbank are the most popular varieties. Potatoes for seed are 

 raised commercially in sm*ll quantities. Sandy, loamy, and peat 

 soils seem to produce the best yields. Potato blight and the potato 

 leaf-hopper cause some trouble. 



Trucking is not carried on to any extent. Enough vegetables are 

 grown for home use. and occasionally a small quantity for market. 

 Considerable sweet corn is raised over the county in small acreages. 



So}^ beans are being tried on quite a number of farms. They are 

 planted w^ith the corn by means of a special attachment on the corn 

 planter. The crop is used for forage and silage, being cut, bundled, 

 and shredded with the corn. This nuikes a ver}'' nutritious feed mix- 

 ture. Ito San, Manchu, and Black Eyebrow seem best adapted to the 

 locality. The medium green and yellow are particularly desirable 

 for silage purposes. 



Fruit is grown in a small v^ay on practically every farm. Gener- 

 ally orchards are limited to 10 to 20 trees, but a very few contain 

 several acres. Insufficient care of trees and the lack of windbreaks 

 greatly cut down the yield of fruit. Plums, cherries, and a few pear 

 trees are found, but the apple is principally grown. The orchards 

 in the more rolling sections of the county are the most successful. 

 Local markets are mainly supplied from outside sources, several cars 

 of apples being shipped in every year. Strawberries, gooseljcrries, 

 raspberries, blackbei-ries, and grapes are raised, but in quantities that 

 hardly supply the local demand. Many farmers buy quantities of 

 commercial canned fruits in the fall for winter use. 



