2 BULLETIN 850, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Barton County, Kans., is about the center of the great winter- 

 wheat producing area of the Great Plains. Spink County, S. Dak., 

 and Barnes County, N. Dak., also in the Great Plains, are located in 

 the center of the principal spring- wheat producing area of the United 

 States. In Barton County farms were between 300 and 400 acres in 

 size, and in the more northern of the counties just mentioned they were 

 somewhat larger. In each of these counties about half the farm land 

 was in small grain. In Barton County nearly all the grain was wheat. 

 In the three other counties about one-third was flax, barley, emmer or 

 speltz, and rye, thus indicating greater diversity of small grain. On 



Fig. 1. — Shaded areas indicate counties in which records were obtained. 



the basis of hay and forage production, available pasture, and by- 

 products, the counties have approximately equal carrying capacity 

 for live stock. Rainfall is the most important factor influencing 

 yields of wheat, which, broadly speaking, vary from 5 to 20 bushels 

 per acre, the average being about 13 bushels. 



The most distinguishing characteristics of farming in these counties 

 are the high percentage of farming land in broadcast crops and the 

 absence of clover and grasses in rotation. Although a small acreage 

 on each farm frequently is devoted to alfalfa, this crop does not take 

 the place of clover and grasses, which in general mixed farming are 

 so important a feature in rotation with other crops. 



