HORSE-FLIES AND WESTERN" AGRICULTURE. 



limited to about five months of the year. In midsummer the days 

 are hot but the nights cool, while the winter is extremely cold. 



The West Walker River, rising among the snow-capped mountains 

 to the west, flows through the valley, and it is from this stream 

 that most of the water is obtained for the irrigation of the hay 

 meadows and alfalfa fields which produce the principal crops. 



Most of the valley, approximately 100 square miles, is owned and 

 operated by one large land and cattle company with general head- 

 quarters at Reno. Several other large ranches in Nevada and Cali- 

 fornia are operated by the same company. A few smaller and in- 

 dependent ranches are to be found along the west side of the valley. 

 The headquarters of the large ranch are at Topaz, which is the name 

 of the post office. 



The major outputs of the valley consist of beef cattle, sheep, and 

 wool. About 5,000 cattle, 18,000 sheep, and 1,000 horses and mules 

 are wintered at the company ranch. As a necessary adjunct to the 



Fig. 3. — Antelope Valley of Nevada and California, from eastern side of valley look- 

 ing southwest. 



stock raising about 7,000 tons of hay are produced, 1,000 of which 

 are alfalfa. Several hundred acres of oats and wheat were grown 

 on the ranch in 1919. 



IRRIGATION. 



The summer precipitation in the valley being insufficient, the 

 crops are absolutely dependent upon irrigation. On each side of 

 the valley are two main supply ditches. Except during brief in- 

 tervals for repair, water runs in these ditches continuously for irri- 

 gation in the summer and for watering stock in the winter. The 

 sides of the valley slope considerably and from fields on these areas 

 the irrigation water drains away rapidly. This waste water for the 

 most part drains onto the more level part or- floor of the valley and 

 there finds such inadequate outlet that it accumulates in wide 

 swampy areas and sluggish sloughs. Much of the floor of the valley 

 is flooded from ditches to hasten the luxuriant growth of wild hay 



