276 



GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OF THE TEREITOEIES. 



tried in tLese gardens germinated well, and the plants, with, rude and 

 imperfect culture, grew encouragingly. The results were satisfactory, 

 although the destruction by insects was greatly beyond anticipation. 

 Irish potatoes, for example, made vigorous growth, yet about the time 

 of blooming were destroyed by a species of blister-beetle, [Epicauta cor- 

 ijfnff, Eiley,) which proved to be a more formidable enemy than even 

 the Colorado potato-bug. Spring-wheat matured merchantable grain 

 at Oarlyle. 



In the summer and fall of 1870 a few acres were broken at each of 

 the three following stations, on the Kansas Pacific Eailway, distant from 

 Kansas City and above the level of the sea as foUows : 



stations. 



Wilson, (now Boslaud) 



Ellis 



Pond Creek 



Feet. 

 1,586 

 2,019 

 3,175 



These places are in the western half of the State of Kansas. All are 

 in the present buffalo range ; all are in the region of short grasses; all 

 are in the open, treeless plains, beyond the limits heretofore assigned 

 to settlements. 



V\^heat, rye, and barley were sown at each of these stations in the 

 fall of 1870 ; at Pond Creek, September 28 ; at Ellis, October 20 5 and 

 at Wilson, November 11. At Pond Creek the rye grew finely and 

 matured a fair crop ; the wheat and barley were partially winter-killed, 

 but the surviving iilants made heads of the usual length, well filled with 

 grain of good size and quality. At Ellis the promise of all the grains 

 was excellent until the 1st of June, when a hail-storm of unusual severity 

 prostrated every stem. At Wilson the grains all did well. The presi- 

 dent and the secretary of the Missouri State board of agriculture (who, 

 in company with members of the board, visited the stations in June) say 

 in their report : " We found wheat, rye, and barley sown ^tTovember 11, 

 1870, [at Wilson,] equal to if not iDeyond the average crop of any part 

 of the Union." And of Pond Creek they say: "The rye, sown 28th of 

 September, on raw ground, would rate as a good crop in Missouri or 

 Illinois; and of the winter- wheat and barley,-the plants which had sur- 

 vived the winter were heading out finely. Eye may be regarded as a 

 valuable crop to the west line of Kansas, (without irrigation ;) and fur- 

 ther trials of wheat and barley of the more hardy kinds will, in all prob- 

 ability, be successful." 



Trials of grass-seeds at the stations named have shown that sorghum, 

 lucerne, timothy, clover, and Hungarian grass may be regarded as future 

 forage crops on the plains; the first and last being the most promising. 

 Maize can be grown for fodder at each of the stations, and for its grain 

 at Wilson and Ellis. At Pond Creek, sorghum made a good length of 

 stalk and matured fine panicles of seeds. At Ellis and Wilson the 

 stalks reached a height of nine to ten feet, and abundance of seeds were 

 matured. This plant will be found to be of great value in Western 

 Kansas and Eastern Colorado, if its usefulness for fodder has not been 

 greatly overrated. In the dry atmosphere of the i)lains, the stalks 

 could probably be dried so as to avoid the souring of the juice, on which, 

 in Illinois, an objection has been raised to its use as a fodder-plant. 



