2 BULLETI];^ 1039, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ^GEICULTURE. 



work was conducted wholly on dry land, but in 1912 a considerable 

 portion of the farm was put under irrigation, and experiments with 

 cereals on irrigated land were begun. The results of these investiga- 

 tions have been reported in part in several previous bulletins of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture and the South Dakota 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. 



The results obtained from the experiments on the dry land up 

 to and including 1913 have been published in detail.^ The work 

 was discontinued at the close of the season of 1919 and all of the 

 important results are published liere in order to bring the data up 

 to date and to make the unpublished results from all experiments 

 available. Owing to the widely varying climatic conditions, the 

 yields of the grains show large fluctuations in different seasons. 

 Most of the experiments here reported, however, have been con- 

 ducted for a sufficiently long period to show quite definitely which 

 are the best varieties and the best cultural methods for growing the 

 various cereals in this region. The results are applicable to a large 

 part of western South Dakota and adjacent portions of northeastern 

 Wyoming, southeastern Montana, and southwestern North Dakota, 

 especially on the heavier types of soil. 



The average yields of wheat, oats, and barley obtained on dry 

 land are not large, but might be profitable if seasonal conditions were 

 more uniform. Low yields have been obtained in several years and 

 failures of a part or all of the crops in others. High yields were 

 obtained in 1915 and fairly high yields of some crops in 1908, 1909, 

 and 1918. Grain growing alone is not likely to be successful in 

 western South Dakota, but if carried on in conjunction with stock 

 raising will be profitable some years. Wheat, oats, and barley are 

 more successful than other small grains. 



The average yields of the grains on irrigated land are not large. 

 Fair yields of most grain crops were obtained each year and good 

 yields were produced from time to time, so that grain growing has 

 proved successful, especially in rotations with other crops. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE FIELD STATION. 



LOCATION. 



The Belle Fourche Experiment Farm consists of 360 acres located 

 near the center of the Belle Fourche reclamation project in western 

 South Dakota, about 30 miles northeast of the Black Hills. The 

 farm is about 24 miles northeast of Bellefourche and 2 miles north- 

 west of Newell. The latitude is about 44° 43' 45'' N., and the longi- 

 tude 103° 26' 15" W. The altitude is almost 2,900 feet. Most of 



-Salmon, Cecil. Cereal investigations on the Belle Fourche Experiment Farm. U. S, 

 Dept. Agr. Bui. 297, 41 p., 12 fig. 1015. 



