18 



BULLETIN 1244, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



due largely to weather conditions, as the soils on which the tests 

 have been conducted are capable of producing very large crops 

 when moisture conditions are favorable. Variation and amount of 

 precipitation account in a large measure for the fact that crop yields 

 are in general higher in the eastern part of the region and decrease 

 to the westward. The highest average yield of wheat is reported 

 from Edgeley and the lowest from Havre. Slightly lower yields at 

 Redfield than at Edgeley are doubtless attributable to the fact that 

 the tests at the former station cover only three years, which included 

 two abnormally poor crop seasons. The highest barley yields were 

 obtained at Redfield and the lowest at Havre. The yields of oats 

 are very similar at Redfield, Moccasin, and Dickinson and are 

 appreciably higher than at most of the other stations. As is the 

 case with other grains, the lowest average yield was at Havre. The 

 average production of alfalfa at Redfield, as shown in the table, 

 is about 1.8 tons per acre. At all the other stations except Havre 

 the crop has averaged approximately 1 ton per acre. The acre 

 production of corn fodder ranges from 3.4 tons at Redfield to 1.2 

 tons at Havre. Sorghum varies from 0.6 ton at Havre to 3.5 tons at 

 Redfield and millet from 0.2 ton at Havre to 2.8 tons at Redfield. 



Table 8. — General average yields of the small grains and the more important forage 

 crops at 11 stations in the northern Great Plains region. 



[Data from. North Dakota bulletins and records of the Offices of Dry-Land Agriculture and Forage-Crop 

 Investigations. The circled number following the yield average in each column shows the term of years 

 considered in computing such average yield.) 



Stations. 



Redfield, S. Dak 



Ardmore, S. Dak 



Belle Fourche, S. Dak 



Edgeley, N. Dak 



Mandah, N . Dak 



Dickinson, N. Dak.... 



Williston,N.Dak 



Hettinger, N. Dak — 



Havre, Mont 



Moccasin, Mont 



Sheridan, Wyo 



Yields per acre. 



Small-grain yields (bushels). 



Forage-crop yields ions 



Spring 

 wheat. 



Oats. 



Barley. 



I .rimm 

 alfalfa. 



1.8 © 

 .98 ® 

 1.0 @ 

 1.0 @ 

 .!« ^ 

 .So © 



.2 © 



1.1 ® 



1.2 © 



Corn 

 fodder. 



1.0 

 2. 1 

 1.3 



Dakota 

 Amber 



sorghum 



3.5 © 

 2.8 © 

 2.3 @ 



Kursk 



millet. 



2.8 

 2.0 



2.0 © 



FODDER AND SILAGE CROPS. 



Tonnage is an important factor in this region in the consideration 

 of forage to be harvested and stored and in some degree takes pre- 

 cedence of quality. The list of the coarse fodder and silage plants 

 for this region is small. Corn, the sorghums, and sunflowers are the 

 only crops thai are satisfactory from the standpoint of yield andpala- 

 tability. Corn and sorghum are valuable for both fodder and silage, 

 while sunflowers are useful mainly for silage. 



In gross tonnage, corn is the most dependable forage crop for much 



of the northern Greal Plains region. In parts oi' the extreme North 

 and al the higher altitudes it is at times forced to give way to the 



