CORN, MILO, AND KAFIR IN THE GREAT PLAINS AREA. 7 



blowing, which is most severe during March and April. When 

 soil blowing starts on a field of small grain it is almost impossible 

 to stop it without some heavy cultivation, which is impossible with- 

 out destroying part of the crop. There are other and minor factors 

 influencing the growing of small grains which are not discussed in 

 this bulletin. There will undoubtedly be occasional seasons of heavy 

 rainfall, when a crop of small grain might be successfully grown, but 

 as a general practice the growing of small grains in this section can 

 not be too severely condemned. 



The results of the experimental work in the production of wheat, 

 oats, and barley in the Great Plains by the Office of Dry-Land Agri- 

 culture have been published in separate bulletins (Nos. 214, 218, and 

 222, respectively) in the present series. 



SORGHUMS. 



Experimental work with the saccharine sorghums has been chiefly 

 along the lines of variety and rate-of -seeding tests. On the whole, 

 the yields have been very satisfactory. Very little work has been 

 done in studying methods of preparation of the land for these 

 crops. It is probable, however, that their relative response to differ- 

 ences in cultural methods is substantially the same as that of kafir 

 and milo. 



PRESENTATION OF RESULTS. 



Tables IV to XII, inclusive, present the results of experimental 

 work with corn, milo, and kafir at the Garden City, Dalhart, and 

 Amarillo stations. These tables give for each station the yields of 

 grain and stover each year, the average 3aeld of each for the whole 

 period of years under study, the value of the crop, the cost of pro- 

 ducing it, and the resulting profit or loss. 



In order to compare the relative profitableness of different methods 

 it has been necessary to assign values to the products and to deter- 

 mine the relative costs of producing the crops by the different 

 methods under study. 



An accurate record of all the farm operations performed by 

 the various methods under trial has been kept at each station. The 

 average of these for the three stations is presented in Table III. 

 It is recognized that this table does not exactly represent the require- 

 ments of any one of the stations, but the average seems to afford a 

 fair basis of comparison. From estimates and determinations of an 

 average day's work the cost of each cultural operation has been com- 

 puted and is given in the table. In arriving at these items of cost a 

 wage scale of $2 a day for a man and $1 a day for a horse has been 

 allowed. Fifteen cents per acre for wear and tear on the binder is 

 added to the labor cost of harvesting. An allowance of 8 per cent 



