CEREAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE CHEYENNE EXPERIMENT FARM. 3 
The new settlers on these lands for the most part come from the 
Central States. They come into an area that requires farming 
methods different from those to which they are accustomed. They 
are confronted by numerous and varied problems of crop adaptation 
and production which are entirely new to them. Reliable informa- 
tion on crops and farm practices is seriously needed. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 
The district outlined above les to the east of the foothills of the 
Rocky Mountains, at an elevation ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 feet. 
The land is gently rolling. It slopes eastward from the foothills to 
about 102° W. longitude, which may be called the eastern boundary 
of the higher western Plains area. In this district the summers are 
short and only short-season crops will mature. 
SOILS. 
The soils of the district are of varying types, ranging from light 
sandy loam to a very heavy impervious clay loam. They are under- 
lain with gravel at some points and with hardpan at others. The 
humus content of the soil generally is low over the entire district. 
The soil in many localities is very light and subject to drifting, while 
in other localities it is very heavy and difficult to work. In general, 
however, the soil is fairly easy to work and is rich in plant food 
elements. While it is low in humus content, crop yields are usually 
good when the moisture supply is not too limited. 
VEGETATION. 
The native grass vegetation of southeastern Wyoming consists 
largely of buffalo grass (Bulbilis dactyloides), blue grama (Bouteloua 
oligostachya), western wheat-grass (Agropyron smith, formerly A. 
occidentale), and little bluestem (Andropogon scoparwus). ‘These are 
common grasses of much of the Great Plains area. They are drought 
- resistant, nutritious, and well suited for grazing purposes. 
The most abundant native legumes are Thermopsis divaricarpa, 
milk vetch (Astragalus adsurgens and A. bisulcatus), narrow-leaved 
_ vetch (Vicia linearis), and lupine (Lupinus pusillus). Some vetches 
and lupines when green are considered poisonous to animals, but are 
not believed to be poisonous when cured. 
Russian thistle (Salsola tragus), Canada thistle (Carduus arvensis), 
yellow mustard (Brassica and Sisymbrium spp.), and tumbleweeds 
(Amaranthus spp.) are among the most common weeds, particularly 
on land where the native sod has been broken. 
CLIMATE. 
There are at least three distinct climatic factors that influence 
directly or indirectly the yields of crops in semiarid regions. These 
are (1) precipitation, particularly the distribution of the rainfall; (2) 
