BARLEY IN THE GREAT PLAINS AREA. 



Seasonal variation in climatic factors is probably more important 

 than difference in methods of tillage. This is shown by the fact that 

 in some years climatic conditions at some stations are such that all 

 methods result in failures. In other years all methods may give 

 fair returns. At some stations the greatest actual increases in yield 

 as a result of tillage methods is usually obtained under the most 

 favorable climatic conditions. In Table I are given the maximum, 

 minimum, and average annual and seasonal precipitation and sea- 

 sonal evaporation. By seasonal is meant the time between the aver- 

 age seeding and the average harvesting dates. No attempt is made 

 to show other climatic factors, though all are important. 



Table I. 



-Annual and seasonal precipitation and seasonal evaporation at fourteen sta- 

 tions in the Great Plains area. 1 





Alti- 

 tude 



(feet). 2 



Precipitation (inches). 3 



Seasor 



al evaporation 



Station. 



Annual. 



Seasonal. 



(inches). 3 





Mini- 

 mum. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 





4,228 

 3,000 

 1,875 

 2,543 

 1,468 

 2,253 

 2,950 

 3,950 

 3,000 

 4,6C0 

 2,050 

 2,900 

 4,000 

 3,676 



14.96 

 11.92 

 10.28 

 11.93 

 11.94 

 12.72 

 6.64 

 13.77 

 11.18 

 14.51 

 15.59 

 11.82 

 13.69 

 10.69 



23.78 

 11.92 

 18.99 

 21.22 

 21.95 

 15.68 

 17.73 

 18.51 

 23.01 

 22.46 

 27.80 

 23.58 

 16.35 

 27.80 



18.06 

 11.92 

 14.84 

 16.69 

 16.71 

 14.20 

 13.11 

 16.14 

 18.05 

 18.28 

 21.30 

 18.54 

 15.11 

 18.28 



6.50 

 5.00 

 5.62 

 5.31 

 5.08 

 8.82 

 1.92 

 5.56 

 4.38 

 5.32 

 3.87 

 5.01 

 4.54 

 5.03 



10.90 



7.35 

 12.00 

 16.27 

 15.73 

 12.89 

 12.75 



8.26 

 11.25 



9.52 

 12.87 



8.16 

 14.86 

 11.49 



8.62 

 6.18 

 8.31 



10.06 

 9.60 



10.69 

 6.82 

 7.11 

 7.77 

 7.82 

 9.55 

 6.85 

 8.17 

 7.05 



19.117 

 19.820 

 21.104 

 18. 379 

 17. 664 

 20.111 

 23. 627 

 24. 698 

 25. 954 

 25. 917 

 29. 390 

 33. 315 

 33. 381 

 32. 305 



26. 273 

 20. 594 

 28. 269 

 27. 366 

 25. 362 

 24. 248 

 33. 906 

 26. 647 

 36. 255 

 32. 691 

 41.317 

 38. 926 

 41.002 

 40. 704 



21.330 





20. 207 





24. 705 





22. 377 





20. 657 





22. 430 





27. 220 



Seottsblufl 



25. 718 



North Platte 



30.253 





28.781 





32.628 





35. 332 





3S. 596 





36. 709 







1 The years covered are the same as for the data shown in the other tables for each station. 



s The altitude given is for the field where the work was done and is based in most cases on that of the 

 nearest town. 



3 The record of annual precipitation for 1914 is not included. The records of seasonal precipitation and 

 evaporation for 1914 are included for all stations, the evaporation being figured from Apr. 1 to July 31. 

 The seasonal rainfall is the amount from Apr. 1 to July 31 for stations north of and including that at Belle 

 Fourche. For stations south of Belle Fourche it is the amount between Mar. 1 and June 30. Evaporation 

 measurements are made from a free water surface, in a tank sunk into the soil to almost its full depth. 

 The water surface is kept about level with the surface of the ground. 



GENERAL PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. 



In the work at the various stations barley has been grown under 

 a number of different tillage methods, but has not occupied as many 

 plats as the other crops. 



The same variety of barley has been grown on all the plats seeded 

 to that crop at the same station during the same year. The aim has 

 been to grow a variety adapted to the local conditions at the station 

 where it has been grown. Different varieties have been grown at dif- 

 ferent stations. At some stations a 6-rowed barley has been used, 

 some stations have used a 2-rowed barley, and some have used a hull- 

 less variety. It is possible that in some cases the variety grown may 



