2 BULLETIN 705, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Some of the factors which tend to influence efficiency on these 

 farms are: (1) The area of land in summer fallow; (2) the income 

 per productive animal unit; (3) crop lydelds; and (4) the percentage 

 of the field-crop area devoted to clover and other legumes. 



Clover seed was a profitable crop in 1912. During that year over 

 10 per cent of the total receipts of the silt loam farms were derived 

 from the sale of clover seed, though the crop occupied only 4.5 per 

 cent of the rotation area. 



Comparative yields and values of the cereal crops per acre strongly 

 indicate that the area devoted to oats on both the clay and silt loam 

 farms should be reduced, with a view to growing more profitable 

 crops. 



The farm income of the clay farms was 4.35 per cent of the capital 

 invested, as compared with 6.64 per cent for the silt loam farms. 

 In other words, the silt loam farms were a half more profitable 

 than the clay farms. The clay farms grow less clover and other 

 legumes than the silt loam farms, had a greater acreage and lower 

 yield of oats, and had a much larger percentage of the rotation area 

 lying idle as summer fallow. 



Crop yields may be increased materially on most of the farms 

 studied by devoting more of the tillable land to clover and other 

 legumes, A few of the silt loam farms were probably devoting 

 sufficient area to these crops. 



That clover can be grown successfully on the clay farms is shown 

 by the 53 trials, covering over 1,000 acres, on 83.8 per cent of which 

 successful stands were obtained. 



AGRICULTURAL fflSTORY OF THE VALLEY. 



Between 1850 and 1860 most of the prairie lands of the Willamette 

 Valley were brought under cultivation. Even as early as 1844 

 there was a surplus wheat crop of 10,000 bushels. In the very be- 

 ginning of the agricultural development of the vaUey, wheat became 

 the leading crop. Oats were also an important crop, and corn was 

 grown in a limited way. Timothy and cheat ^ were the principal 

 hay crops. Clover was tried superficially and pronounced a failure 

 because the first trials failed to give satisfactory stands. From the 

 most reliable information available it appears that wheat in those 

 early days yielded from 30 to 40 bushels per acre and oats from 50 

 to 75 bushels. 



For a number of years the land produced a crop each year. How- 

 ever, the soil soon became infested with wild oats, and about 1865 

 the farmers began to summer fallow; that is, the land was clean 

 cultivated once in every three or four years. Under this system of 



1 Bromus secilinua. 



