WHEAT, OATS, AND BARLEY IN SOUTH DAKOTA. 5 



At Highmore the average seasonal rainfall from April 1 to Au- 

 gust 31 during the 10 years under consideration, as shown in Table I, 

 has been 12.24 inches, or 71 per cent of the total annual rainfall, 

 with the heaviest precipitation in May. There have been four sea- 

 sons of drought, three of which, 1910, 1911, and 1912, have occurred 

 in sequence, thus rendering dry- farming methods of little avail in 

 the production of cereals during 1911 and 1912. The rainfall has 

 approximated the average during three seasons, while in three seasons 

 it has been much heavier than the average. In brief, there were 

 eight seasons when fair to good crops could be obtained by good 

 farming methods, one season of partial failure, and one season of 

 total failure. Thus, during two of the four dry seasons good crops 

 were obtained and in a third a partial crop was obtained by good 

 farming methods. In all four of the dry seasons the crops were a 

 total failure where poor farming methods were employed. 



The record for Eureka covers but four years and is therefore not 

 at all conclusive. It shows that the average seasonal rainfall during 

 this period was 9.6 inches, or 60 per cent of the annual precipitation. 

 During the last three years the same drought conditions as were 

 noted at Highmore have prevailed, though they were not as severe. 



The record for three years at Cottonwood shows that the same 

 drought conditions occurred there as prevailed at Highmore and 

 Eureka from 1910 to 1912. The lack of rainfall in June during these 

 seasons has made the raising of wheat, barley, and oats unprofitable. 

 The seasonal rainfall has been 59 per cent of the total. 



The summary of Table I shows that Brookings has received an 

 average of 2.75 inches more seasonal rainfall than Highmore. Ap- 

 parently, Cottonwood and Eureka do not differ essentially from 

 Highmore in the matter of average annual precipitation. 



The climatic conditions as a whole are favorable to the produc- 

 tion of small cereals as well as other crops at Brookings. At High- 

 more such cultivated crops as corn, sorghum, and potatoes have not 

 failed during the 10 years. The noncultivated cereals have been a 

 total failure one year and a partial failure another year, even where 

 the best moisture-conservation methods have been employed, that is, 

 where the small grain has followed an intertilled crop. Where small 

 grain has followed small grain there have been four failures — one 

 total and three partial. Thus, there was a net gain of 2 crops in 10 

 due to good farming, besides the increased yields in normal years. 



SOIL CONDITIONS. 



The soils of South Dakota east of the Missouri River are nearly 

 all of glacial origin, consisting usually of rich dark-colored loams 

 containing varying proportions of sand, underlain by " bowlder " 



