CEREAL EXPERIMENTS AT THE AKRON FIELD STATION. 3 
SOIL. 
Geologically the district was once part of the bed of a Cretaceous 
sea. It contains many deposits of marine fossils which add to the 
natural fertility. The rolling character of the surface is partly due 
to wind action. Movements due to wind are still in progress, but 
vegetation retards the action. Many depressions formed by wind 
have no drainage outlet. The result of the combined forces is a 
sandy soil, often of considerable depth, very deficient in humus. In 
a few localities the subsoil is very different from the topsoil. Clay 
may be found only 1 or 2 feet below the sand. The natural vegeta- 
tion is an indicator to the experienced eye of the character of the 
soil; but no examination of land in this district is complete until a 
few holes have been dug to a depth of 4 or 5 feet. The very sandy 
lands should not be broken, on account of soil blowing. 
Fic. 1.—Sod broken with a moldboard plow near the Akron Field Station, showing the topography of 
the locality. 
An estimate based on the figures of the Thirteenth Census places 
the proportion of cultivated land at about 6 per cent of the total 
area and the proportion in cereals at about 2.5 per cent of the total 
area, 
f CLIMATE. 
The climate of the district is healthful. The air is dry and is 
usually in motion. Strong winds are very common, but tornadoes 
are rare. The winters are generally mild and open, but occasionally 
snow falls early and remains until spring. 
There is a gradual decrease in precipitation from east to west. 
About two-thirds of the precipitation falls during the growing season, 
1Shantz,H. L. Natural vegetation as an indicator of the capabilities of land for crop production in the 
Great Plainsarea. U.S, Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bul. 201, 100 p., 23 fig.,6 pl. 1911. 
