THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ON THE MINIDOKA PROJECT. 3 



sagebrush plains the grass is good from April to June, and again after 

 the fall rains, usually from October to December. 



The average elevation of the irrigable area of the project is 4,225 

 feet. The annual precipitation averages 14 inches, most of which 

 occurs during the winter months. The annual range of temperature 

 is from — 20° to 100° F. The irrigation season extends from April 1 to 

 October 31. The principal soils are a heavy clay loam, a sandy 

 loam, and a sand, approximately 11 per cent of the project being 

 made up of sandy soils. The farm unit in most instances is 80 

 acres. A few farms are smaller than this and a few somewhat 

 larger. 



As is generally true in the reclamation of arid lands by irrigation, 

 alfalfa is one of the principal crops produced on the Minidoka project. 

 This crop is important both because its growth increases the produc- 

 tivity of the soil and because of its value in live-stock production. 

 Other important 'crops grown on the project are grains, sugar beets, 

 and potatoes. In 1916 crops were harvested from approximately 

 80,000 acres on 1,849 farms. Alfalfa hay was produced on 37,300 

 acres and clover hay on 880 acres, the areas devoted to these two 

 crops being about 47 per cent of the total cropped area of the project. 

 About 20,000 acres, or 25 per cent of the cropped area, were devoted 

 to grain crops, chiefly wheat, oats, and barley. These hay and 

 grain crops in ordinary times can be utilized most advantageously 

 when fed to live stock. The 8,666 acres of pasture on the project 

 in 1916, together with the acreage in alfalfa and grains, amounted 

 to more than 80 per cent of the total cropped acreage. Thus, the 

 importance of establishing live-stock industries on the project is 

 evident. Not only have the direct results of live-stock farming 

 proved profitable, but the benefits in the way of soil improvement 

 have been marked. Almost without exception the farms that pro- 

 duced maximum crop returns in 1916 are those where live stock is 

 kept and fed. There are individual instances of crop-yield increases 

 as great as 60 per cent resulting from a single application of manure 

 to the land. 



Because of these facts the interest in all kinds of live stock is 

 great, and the live-stock population has increased rapidly during 

 recent years. Table I, which has been compiled from data furnished 

 by the United States Reclamation Service, shows the number of 

 live stock on the project at the beginning and at the close of the year 

 1916. 



Owing to the unusually high prices of grain it was found profit- 

 able to sell spring pigs during the summer of 1916 as stock hogs and 

 serum hogs. For this reason, the swine population decreased materi- 

 ally during the year, and a large proportion of the hogs on the f arms 

 in December were breeding stock. 



