62 
SOIL SURVEY OF BUFFALO COUNTY. 
bushels were produced from 46,304 acres, or about 30 bushels to 
the acre. Part of the crop is marketed through elevators at 
Fountain City, Alma, Mondovi, and Winona, Minn., but the 
greater part is fed to stock on the farms. Oats form the bulk of 
the grain fed to horses and are ground as part of the ration for 
feeding cattle and hogs. The crop is grown mainly on the Knox 
silt loam. It is grown quite extensively also on the Lintonia silt 
loam, Boone fine sandy loam, Bates silt loam, and Waukesha silt 
loam, on all of which good yields are obtained. On the more 
sandy types yields are considerably lower. The quality of all 
small grains is best where grown on light-colored soils, and the 
Knox silt loam is considered to be the best small-grain soil in the 
county. On dark soils the growth of straw is apt to be too rank 
and the plants frequently lodge. Also, the grain is slightly 
inferior in quality, and is lighter in weight than that grown on 
the lighter-colored silt loam types. 
Hay is the second crop in importance. In 1909 hay was cut 
from 40,709 acres, producing 75,059 tons, or an average of about 
1% tons per acre. Clover and timothy constitute the greater 
part of the hay grown. There is a considerably greater acreage 
devoted to timothy alone than to clover alone. Much wild hay 
is cut from areas of Peat and Genessee Soils and some from wet 
areas of Wabash loam. There are a few fields of alfalfa in the 
county, but this crop is grown only to a very small extent at 
present. 
Corn ranks third in acreage. From 25,043 acres in 1909 a 
yield of 838.441 bushels was obtained, or an average of over 33 
bushels per acre. The A\ aukesha and Bates silt loams are the 
best corn soils in the county and on these types yields of 50 to 60 
or even 70 bushels per acre are obtained under favorable condi¬ 
tions, and the average yield is always considerably above the 
average for the county. A large quantity of corn is cut and put 
into the silo each year, and the quantity is gradually increasing 
as the dairy industry develops. Practically all of the corn 
allowed to mature is fed to hogs or other stock on the farms where 
it is produced, and comparatively little is sold. Dent varieties 
are grown most extensively, and improvement is being made 
through the use of more carefully selected seed. 
