FORAGE CROPS IN NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS. 15 



extends from the eastern boundary westward, although broken to a 

 considerable extent in the drier parts of Montana by desert types. 

 The bunch grasses grow chiefly on the breaks along watercourses and 

 in sandy areas. 



There are plants other than grasses that supply considerable forage 

 on the native pastures and ranges, but the grasses are by far the most 

 important. The data on the grazing lands of all kinds within this 

 region are not accurate, but it is estimated that the entire region has 

 85,279,000 acres of grazing land. The estimates of the average 

 carrying capacity are even less dependable, but from the data at hand 

 it is reasonable to conclude that for the region as a whole 20 acres 

 will supply grazing sufficient to carry one adult cow for a period 

 of six months. The actual carrying capacity varies almost directly 

 with the precipitation. 



Tame pastures contribute almost negligibly to the total pasturage 

 in the drier parts of the region. When it is recalled that the native 

 grasses furnish approximately 3,000,000 tons of hay annually in 

 addition to what they afford as pasturage, their value to the agricul- 

 ture of the northern Great Plains will be appreciated. When broken, 

 these native grasslands, even if left undisturbed, require fully a gen- 

 eration before they return, if ever, to their original productiveness. 



The limiting factors in cereal-crop production are likewise the 

 limiting factors in the growing of forage crops. Low rainfall and 

 a short growing season very definitely limit the kinds of forage that 

 can be grown, as well as the production. The fact that the total 

 area of cultivated forage crops and of the cereal crops harvested 

 for forage is less than 2,500,000 acres, or slightly more than half 

 the area producing native-grass hay, shows clearly that these crops 

 are not as yet a large factor in the agriculture of the region from 

 the standpoint of either acreage or production. However, the cul- 

 tivated forage should not all be credited to cultivated forage crops 

 alone. A considerable part comes more or less incidentally from 

 other cultivated crops, particularly the cereals, exclusive of the 

 cereals cut for hay. 



Of the strictly forage crops, alfalfa exceeds the others in acreage 

 and tonnage, and yet very much less alfalfa is grown in this region 

 than is commonly supposed. It is estimated that there are 786,000 

 acres which produce approximately 1,116,000 tons of hay annually. 

 Much of the acreage, especially in Montana and western South 

 Dakota, is under irrigation. The strictly dry-land acreage of alfalfa 

 is small. Severe winters as well as dry summers are largely re- 

 sponsible for this. 



Although corn is classed as a cereal, it is a true forage crop, and 

 it is so regarded in all the northern Great Plains except that portion 

 projecting into the Corn Belt. According to the census data, about 

 325,000 acres of corn were harvested for fodder and 17,000 acres 

 for silage in this region in 1919. It is estimated that the forage 

 produced from the total acreage on a dry-fodder basis would approxi- 

 mate 350,000 tons. In the drier sections corn for fodder is becoming 

 increasingly important. For these sections corn may be regarded 

 as a forage resource of very great potential value. 



The last census lists a number of grasses under the heading 

 " Other tame grasses," which includes those other than timothy and 

 clover and certain grasses and legumes otherwise definitely specified. 



