Excerpt from Dry Land Crops at the Dalhart (Texas) Field Station

Precipitation ranges from more than 20 inches farther east in the Texas Panhandle to less than 14 inches in some localities to the west.

Soils within the section vary widely, and the general tendency is for crops to vary with soil type, the heavier soils being planted to wheat and the lighter soils to sorghums. There is no fast dividing line, however, as sorghums will grow on the heavier soils and wheat is grown on sandy land. During the great expansion of wheat acreage in the late twenties and early thirties, wheat production was extended to soils and areas previously regarded as too risky for wheat production. A succession of dry years, however, focused attention on the risks involved in planting wheat in soils subject to wind erosion, particularly where moisture conditions may be unfavorable, and the conclusion has been reached that certain localities are definitely too risky for wheat.

The area and the soil represented by the Dalhart Field Station are particularly adapted to the production of grain sorghums, and the yields of these crops compare favorably with those in other portions of the southwestern grain-sorghum area. Average yields at Dalhart are as high as or higher than those at Woodward, Okla, and Chilli cothe, Tex., where precipitation is higher. Until the extreme drought of the last few years, the section was characterized by its few failures and its good yields in favorable years. The unprecedentedly low rainfall for the period 1933 - 38 has had the effect of greatly increasing the percentage of failures and reducing the average yields. The average yields here reported should not be above those that might be expected over the period of years for which precipitation records within the section are available.

Since the grain sorghums are so important in the economy of the section and since the work of the station has been focused largely on the sorghums, this circular deals principally with them.

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