The most extensively grown crop is corn, which occupied 16,532 acres. In 1910 wheat

One H

or Dawes County Spuds

and oats both ranked above corn in acreage, but the latter crop has been increasing. A few farmers raise more corn than they require and sell the surplus in the community. Corn is used for feeding hogs, cattle and horses. The demand is greater than the supply, and there is a large annual importation from the corn belt.

Wheat ranks second in importance among the grain crops. The average yield is thirteen bushels per acre. There are two flour mills in the county, but the greater part ot the crop is shipped to eastern markets. The quality of the grain is generally very good.

Oats rank third in acreage. About 10,000 acres annually are devoted to this crop. The production is practically all used within the county for feeding stock.

Rye is an important crop in local areas, mainly on the table-land and park lands. This crop occupies 3,700 acres annually with an average yield of 19.4 bushels per acre. Part of the crop is used by local mills, but the greater part is shipped out of the county.

According to the census, about 50,000 acres are devoted to hay production. Of this total, about 40,000 acres are in wild grasses. The feeding value of the western wheat grass which grows in the Pierre clay region is very good, and the hay always brings a premium on the market. The other grasses cut are the bluestem and grama. Alfalfa is the principal cultivated hay crop, occupying over 10,000 or more acres. Much of the hay produced is fed to stock, but a large tonnage is shipped to both eastern and western markets and to the Black Hills.