FARM MANAGEMENT IN THE OZARKS. 
23 
CORN. 
Corn is relied upon as the main feed crop of the region, and on 
practically every farm as many acres of it are put in as possible. 
A rotation system has been definitely adopted on farms in many 
sections. In other sections the system has not been so definitely 
worked out, and on some of the most fertile bottom farms corn is 
planted year after year. The thin soils of this region will not stand 
continuous corn cropping, and the general practice is to plant corn 
one or two years, followed in the fall by wheat or in the spring by 
oats. With the winter cereal, grass and clover are seeded, and during 
the following years hay is cut as long as the stand remains good. 
After haying, the sod may be devoted to pasture for a few years. 
The two most important problems with which these farmers are 
faced in crop production are frequency of droughts, to which this 
country is subjected, and the low productivity of the soils. 
The Missouri State Board of Agriculture has for a number of years 
published estimated yields of crops by counties, and to show how 
seriously the corn crop is affected by droughts in this region the 
following table is presented, giving such yields for the county of 
Texas, together with the precipitation for July and August recorded 
at Houston, Texas County. 
Table VIII. — Yield of corn and rainfall. 
Year. 
Total yield 
of corn 
in Texas 
County. 
Combined 
July and 
August 
rainfall at 
Houston. 
Year. 
Total yield 
of corn 
in Texas 
County. 
Combined 
July and 
August 
rainfall at 
Houston. 
1907 
Bushels. 
830, 963 
964, 100 
1,027,120 
1,551,056 
1,087,860 
1,085,133 
Inches. 
3.72 
6.13 
9.02 
10.51 
11.40 
10.86 
1913 
Bushels. 
671, 749 
313, 140 
680,600 
843,291 
1,019,568 
Inches. 
4 68 
1908 
1914 
7 03 
1909 
1915 
11.10 
1910 
1916 
3 54 
1911 
1917.. 
6.62 
1912 
The frequency of rainfall throughout the growing season is a very 
important factor. To illustrate, the July-August total precipitation 
was almost identical in 1917 and 1914, but in 1914 6.07 inches of 
rain fell in August, while in May, June, and July, respectively, but 
0.24, 0.85, and 0.96 inches of rain fell. In 1917 the May, June, 
July, and August precipitation in inches was 2.25, 3.18, 3.35, and 
3.27, respectively. In 1914 the corn crop was 313,140 bushels and 
in 1917 1,019,568 bushels. 
Many factors besides rainfall can have a very great influence upon 
crop yields. The above table, however, does show in a general way 
how very seriously the corn crop has been affected by droughts in 
this county; and farmers, not only in this county but in every county 
