UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1304 
en, D. C. ▼ March 17, 1925 
CROP ROTATION AND CULTURAL METHODS AT THE 
AKRON (COLORADO) FIELD STATION 
In the 15-Year Period from 1909 to 1923, Inclusive 
By J. F. Brandon, Associate Agronomist, Office of Dry-Land Agriculture 
Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry 
CONTENTS 
Page 
History of the investigations... 1 
SoU 2 
Climatic factors 2 
Scope of the experiments 7 
Average yields 9 
Results with winter wheat 10 
Results with spring wheat 12 
Results with oats 14 
Page 
Results with barley 16 
Results with corn 17 
Results with other crops 19 
Fallow. 22 
Green manures 23 
Crops on prairie sod 24 
Soil blowing 24 
Summary and recommendations 26 
HISTORY OF THE INVESTIGATIONS 
The Akron Field Station, located 4 miles east of Akron, Colo., is 
operated by the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investigations of 
the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agri- 
culture. The station was established in 1907. The preparation of 
the land was uniform for the first crop, which was grown in 1908. 
The results of rotation and tillage practices consequently begin with 
1909. This bulletin reports the experimental data and results on 
crop rotations and cultural methods at the station for the 15 years 
from 1909 to 1923, inclusive. 
The Akron station is one of 24 in the Great Plains region at which 
coordinated experiments in crop rotations and cultural methods have 
been conducted by the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investiga- 
tions, 1 either independently or in cooperation with other offices of 
1 The Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investigations was organized in 1905, with E. C. Chilcott as agri- 
culturist in charge. He outlined and instituted these investigations and still has general supervision over 
them. This bulletin has been prepared under his direction. The work at Akron was established under 
the direct supervision of J. E. Payne, superintendent, who was succeeded by O. J. Grace in 1910; he, in 
turn, was succeeded by the writer in 1920. Other members or former members of the scientific staff of the 
Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investigations having to do with procuring the data presented in this 
bulletin are W. M. Osborn, A. E. Seamans, L. N. Jensen, W. E. Lyness, A. Osenbrug, and Clarence 
Harris. The climatic data were obtained through cooperation with the Biophysical Laboratory of the 
Bureau of Plant Industry. 
13451°— 25t 1 
