Tombstone epitaph., 1916-01-09
BEST SOIL FOR BARLEY
In Great Plains Territory 0iskcd
 Corn Land Is Favored.
Factors Esertins Greatest Influence on Production Are Water Supply, Condition Of Seedbed ard
 Preceding Crop.

Three of the factors that exert the greatest influence on the production Of barley in the Great Plains area are the water supply. the physical condi ton of the seedbed. and the recog nized. if not understood. effect of the immediately preceding crop. Differ ences in climatic conditions of differ ent seasons have caused much wider variation in yields of barley than have resulted from the different methods of cultivation. tried at l4 stations in this area. according to the United States Department of Agriculture Bul letin No. 222. Barley in the Great Plains Area, and the Relation of Cul tural Methods to Production"
 In some sections of the region bar ley has not been considered strictly as a market crop. but rather as a feed crop. The price is usually determined by the quality of the barley from 8 brewing standpoint. the demand being for a uniform product. well matured and of good color. Certain sections of the dry regions afford opportunity to grow barley Of good quality. espe cially in those years when conditions are favorable for the production of Q good. plump berry. Dry weather with the absence of dews affords good con ditions under which to harvest the crop without injury to quality or color In the main, however. barley in the Great Plains area has been grown as feed rather than as a market crop.
 Barley has the advantage of requir. ing on the average a shorter growing season than either oats or wheat, and is therefore exposed for a shorter length of time to the unfavorable eli matic conditions likely to occur. When seeded at approximately the same time as oats, it will ripen with or be fore the earliest oats. Of course the variety of barley planted determines somewhat the length of the growing season, but the above applies to the average of barleys.
 Earliness of maturing Is considered important in enabling a crop to escape drought, and this is important in the Great Plains area which is classified as semiarid. The distribution of the rainfall. within certain limits. is more important than the total amount re ceived during the year. A relatively low rainfall, when properly distrib uted. may produce a crop, where . much higher rainfall. unfavorably dis tributed. may result in a crop failure A much smaller crop usually results from a soil that starts out in the moisture than from one that is well supplied with moisture. As was stated earlier, the difference in climatic con. ditions was found to cause a much wider variation in yields than resulted from the different methods of cultiya tion in practice. In fact. so great has been the factor of seasonable rainfall that at some stations. where precipi. tation was not sufficient. and where the same methods of cultivation were practiced as at other stations. where precipitation was not sufficient. and where the same methods of cuitiya. tion were practiced as at other sta. tiOLos iAN tAcp
 While some methods of cuitivating barley at Bellefourche. S. D., Garden City, Kan, Dalhart and Amarillo. Tex, have increased the yields. they have not brought them up to a point that affords much encouragement for the growth of barley. The conclusion is that the combination of soil and eli. mate is not favorable to this crop et these four stations, and that the conditions cannot be overcome by cu,. tural practices.
 The results obtained at each of the 14 different stations of the Great Plains area are published in this bull letin. which gives the local data for each station. This bulletin may be had by those in this region upon ap- plication to the editor and chief of the division of publication. as long as the departments supply for free distribution lasts.