26 BULLETIN 853, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



have been using the formaldehyde treatment for it. By the use of 

 this simple and inexpensive treatment the losses from oat smut can 

 be reduced to a mhiimum. 1 



The yield of buckwheat was 15 bushels per acre, as compared with 

 yields of 16 bushels per acre for the census reports of 1900 and 1910. 2 

 About one-third as much land is devoted to buckwheat as to wheat. 

 Buckwheat is a good crop to put on rough or weedy land. A good 

 deal of buckwheat is sold, some is used in the house, and a large 

 quantity is fed to the chickens. It makes an excellent chicken feed. 



The average yield of hay for the year 1916 was 1.7 tons per acre. 

 The yield of this crop in the three counties in which the survey was 

 made, for the United States Census of 1900 and 1910, respectively, 

 was 1.1 and 1.2 tons. The hay crop in this area was large in 1916, but 

 farmers generally said that the feeding value was somewhat lower 

 than usual. Hay is the leading staple crop of the region, and con- 

 sists principally of clover and timothy. Much of the red clover seed 

 used is grown on the farm. This is the medium red variety. The 

 alsike clover seed used is purchased. A considerable part of the 

 timothy seed required for farm use is obtained by stripping the 

 heads from selected portions of the hay field. With care, seed of an 

 excellent quality can be obtained by this method. Some of the 

 farmers leave patches of timothy hoj standing for seed. A few use 

 the barn-floor sweepings for their source of supply of timothy seed. 



The yield of potatoes was somewhat below normal, 68 bushels per 

 acre, as compared with yields of 102 and 93 bushels given in the last 

 two census reports. The higher prices obtained, however, would 

 about make up for the loss due to low yield. Potatoes, however, 

 are a relatively unimportant crop in this area, occupying but 1.5 per 

 cent of the total crop area, or about seven-tenths of an acre per farm. 



Little attention has been paid to orcharding in this area. Few of 

 the farmers spray their trees, and many do but little pruning. In 

 one part of the area surveyed one farmer who runs a special fruit 

 farm does considerable spraying for his neighbors, using a small 

 power sprayer. This farmer sold $175 worth of apples, $300 worth 

 of cherries, $100 worth of peaches, $100 worth of plums, and $124 

 worth of strawberries. A small quantity of pears and prunes were 

 produced and sold in this area. 



In general, market conditions are such that it would be inadvisable 

 to increase to any great extent the acreage devoted to truck crops 

 in this area, yet on many farms, especially on those where there 

 is a large family at home, the addition of some special crop like 

 strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries would materially increase 



Tor information in controlling cereal smuts see Farmer's Bulletin 939, "Cereal Smuts and the Dis- 

 infection of Seed Orain," which may be obtained free from the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 ' For further details concerning the growing of buckwheat, see Farmers' Bulletin 1062, "Buckwheat." 



