THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



175 



Precipitation. 



"By taking Miles City, Montana; Cheyenne, Wyoming; North Platte, 

 Nebraska; Dodge City, Kansas; and Amarillo, Texas, as representative 

 points in the semi-arid belt, we find, by consulting the weather bureau 

 records, that during the past five years the total rainfall has been from 

 six inches to two feet above the normal in the dry farmed district. At 

 Cheyenne, during the growing season of 1908, i'. e., the months of May, 

 June, July and August, we had a greater amount of rainfall than during 

 the same months for the last 38 years. This must be taken into account 

 when considering the results of our efforts on the Cheyenne farm this 

 past season. At our second farm near Newcastle, Wyoming, the rain- 

 fall was abundant during the entire season, except at the period of the 

 filling of the grain. 



Experiment Stations. 



"Having studied the conditions under which many homesteads on our 

 semi-arid plains were at one time abandoned, and realizing that this 

 enterprise was again assuming broad dimensions, this office saw fit, 

 about three years ago, to establish three stations in Wyoming and 

 Colorado, where small areas would be irrigated and a few crops and 

 trees grown, should the season at any time prove too dry for the growth 

 of the general farm crops. In order to show the value of a little water in 

 connection with dry farming, out of necessity, we established extensive 

 farms at Cheyenne, and Newcastle, Wyoming, and at Eads, Colorado. 

 Here we are attempting, on quite a large scale, dry farming experiments 

 according to the latest advanced scientific methods. 



Cheyenne Results. 



"In the summer of 1905 we located ourselves one and a half miles 

 east of Cheyenne upon a virgin prairie where the sod was turned and the 

 ground prepared for planting the following season. The elevation is about 

 6,000 feet. The location was not chosen altogether for its soil value and 

 there are other districts where we would probably find more fertile land, 

 but, if we are successful upon this soil,, there should be no cause for 

 failure upon a better soil if the proper methods were employed. The only 

 seed planted in 1905 was a little Silver King wheat and fall rye. 



Average Yields. 



"They both suffered from severe winds and the rye produced only about 

 16 bushels per acre while the wheat yielded 20 bushels per acre. Dur- 

 ing 1905 we had 22.68 inches rainfall and in 1906, 17.65 inches. This ex- 

 cessive precipitation proved a great benefit to the spring planted crops. 

 Durum wheat yielded as high as 25 bushels per acre, while spring rye 

 produced 20% bushels per acre; field peas gave us 16 bushels per acre 

 and potatoes 90 bushels. The potato crop was universally poor this year 

 and when thses results are compared with those of the greater part of 

 the potato growing district they are found to be very favorable. A hail 

 storm passed over the farm just after some of the grain had been cut. 



