2 BULLETIN 1304, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
the United States Department of Agriculture or the State experiment 
stations. Results of experiments at the other stations throughout 
the Great Plains have been of great value in interpreting the data of 
the Akron station, which is representative of a very large area of 
the west-central Great Plains. 
SOIL 
The soil on which these experiments have been conducted is a light 
to dark brown sandy loam with a clay to clay-loam subsoil inter- 
spersed with sand pockets. This soil is typical of the so-called hard 
land of this region. The so-called soft land has a sandy surface 
with a sandy subsoil. In its native state the hard land is character- 
ized by a short-grass vegetation composed chiefly of two species, 
grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalo grass (Bulbilis dacty- 
loides) ; whereas the soft land is characterized by a growth of wire- 
grass (Aristida longiseta), bunch grasses (chiefly characterized by 
Andropogon scoparius), and sand sage {Artemisia filif olio) . 2 
Table 1. — Monthly, seasonal, and annual precipitation at the Akron Field Station 
for the 16-year period from 1908 to 1923, inclusive 
[Data in inches. T=trace] 
Year 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Apr. 
May 
June 
July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 
Sea- 
sonal, 
Apr- 
Sept., 
in- 
clu- 
sive 
An- 
nual 
1908 

T 
.05 
.60 
.28 
.22 
.03 
1.10 
.50 
.28 
.70 
.07 
T 
1.22 
.65 
T 
0.34 
1.38 
.16 
.44 
1.43 
.40 
.32 
1.68 
T 
.63 
.80 
.50 
.02 
T 
.25 
.18 
T 
3.06 
.26 
.06 
.78 
1.57 
.20 
1.50 
.09 
.72 
.60 
.65 
.90 
1.25 
.15 
.95 
1.70 
.40 
3.96 
2.63 
2.49 
2.19 
4.01 
5.19 
1.59 
.96 
1.20 
1.96 
3.28 
2.77 
3.96 
1.65 
3.30 
1.87 
2.06 
1.15 
2.86 
1.44 
1.46 
4.13 
2.24 
7.79 
1.76 
1.59 
2.90 
.47 
3.63 
4.94 
2.37 
3.32 
1.38 
1.48 
3.39 
1.35 
3.54 
3.75 
2.09 
.56 
.96 
2.27 
3.97 
1.32 
1.43 
2.17 
2.42 
4.61 
1.47 
1.34 
3.58 
1.85 
1.66 
1.10 
1.77 
1.52 
3.10 
1.79 
4.72 
2.88 
3.24 
3.62 
1.47 
3.77 
3.72 
1.30 
1.58 
1.14 
1.05 
3.51 
2.82 
1.78 
7.36 
.44 
1.45 
.92 
1.24 
.75 
0.05 
2.16 
3.81 
2.40 
1.88 
2.08 
.23 
1.76 
.26 
2.19 
2.43 
2.62 
1.80 
.79 
.06 
.82 
3.20 
.86 
.05 
1.47 
1.99 
.34 
2.08 
.48 
1.02 
.57 
1.07 
1.64 
.44 
.97 
.05 
1.91 
2.00 
.48 
.12 
.28 
.18 
.70 
.10 
.15 
.75 
T 
.75 
1.29 
.47 
.20 
1.90 
.47 
T 
0.55 
.32 
1.36 
.29 
3.27 
.90 
.65 
.61 
.50 
1.55 
.70 
.90 
.65 
.10 
.70 
11.31 
16.13 
16.40 
10.30 
15.78 
10.05 
11.95 
19.44 
10.77 
14.80 
16.81 
10.67 
18.12 
9.15 
13.56 
13.95 
16.85 
1909 
22.46 
1910 
17.36 
1911 
1912 
14.51 
20.73 
1913 
16.55 
1914 
15.58 
1915 
1916 
25.00 
13.74 
1917 
17.50 
1918 
1919 
1920 
22.28 
15.52 
20.85 
1921 
13.44 
1922 
1923 
16.66 
18.16 
Average.. 
.36 
.53 
.80 
2.50 
2.72 
2.21 
2.54 
2.14 
1.58 
1.13 
.62 
.82 
1 13.69 
17.95 
1 Sum of monthly averages. 
CLIMATIC FACTORS 
PRECIPITATION 
The monthly precipitation for the 16-year period from 1908 to 
1923, inclusive, at the Akron Field Station is given in Table 1. The 
average annual precipitation for this period was 17.95 inches. This 
average was exceeded by the yearly precipitation in but 6 of the 16 
years. It therefore appears that the average annual precipitation is 
somewhat higher than the most probable precipitation. The most 
probable quantity would seem to be about 17 inches, since the yearly 
* Shantz, H. L. 
Oreat Plains area. 
Natural vegetation as an indicator of the capabilities of land for crop production in the 
U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 201, 100 p., illus. 1911, 
