5. Judging a judging a district the investor will desire to give attention principally to soil, the climate, the type of farming which prevails, the maturity of the region, the nationality, thrift and intelligence of the population, the transportation facilities and the homestead laws. By "maturity of the region" is meant the verdict of time as to whether the agricultural practice of the district is fitted to the physical conditions which prevail, so that the farm ers' prosperity is likely to be permanent. This ques tion is the all-important one in the dry-farming coun try. The growth of population of the region in volved may be investigated for a series of years to ascertain whether an increase is the result of a normal, healthy growth or of a series of land booms. There are some advantages possessed by a section which is still in a pioneer condition. There the land values are likely to be moderate. The majority of the popula tion will be in the prime of life, and virile. The hab its of living will be frugal. The surplus wealth of such a region will go back largely into the property pledged. Land will be cleared; fences, barns and houses will be built; and these activities will serve to increase the margin of safety. The country roads will be improving; the railways will be extending their branches; and the villages will be multiplying the number of mills and elevators. All of these improve ments will tend to lift the price of farming land and so add to the value of the collateral.
6. Use of agricultural effect of annual fluctuations of heat and moisture upon agri culture can be discovered best by consulting the rec ords of the State and Federal Departments of Ag riculture.
The investor will find in the Crop Reporter, pub lished by the United States Department of Agricul ture, valuable information concerning the average yields of various crops and the farm prices obtained for them in the several states. By means of such in formation he can gauge the degree of fluctuation which occurs, and by multiplying the yield and unit prices by the number of acres in any given property can ascertain the income obtainable from different crops. The following table gives an illustration of the character of the information which is avail able : 7. Soil survey studies.—When the investor has chosen his district, if a soil survey has been made of it by the Bureau of Soils, he can secure from the De partment of Agriculture a bulletin which will give him exhaustive information. To illustrate the ma terial which these government soil surveys provide, a brief epitome is given here of the contents of the report of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. The soil survey itself is in documentary form, but is here pre sented in digest form for the sake of brevity.
General Description. Situated in the south central part of the state, bounded by Logan County on the north, by Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties on the east, by Cleveland County on the south, and Canadian County on the north. Contains 720 square miles, or 416,800 acres.
Surface. Western two-fifths of county prairie land. A level and gently rolling country, broken by streams, de pressions and valleys, which are from ten to one hundred feet deep. Elevation 1,200-1,250 feet. Highest, 1,300 feet. In east part of county, sandy section, which is rolling and hilly and cut by small streams. Elevation 1,100 feet. The surface is drained by the North Canadian River, Deep Fork, Little River and Chisholm Creek.
History of Settlement. County opened for settlement in 1889. Practically all desirable land settled by whites and growth steady and rapid. Chief cities are Oklahoma City and Edmond. Smaller towns are Luther, Harrah, Choctaw, Britton, Jones, Spencer. No town is more than nine miles from a railroad station.
Roads. The public roads system is extensive. There is a road on nearly every section line, and those thru the prairie are in good condition thruout the year, except in rainy weather. Stream crossings nearly all bridged. Rail roads are: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific ; St. Louis and San Francisco ; Missouri, Kansas and Texas.
Climate. Healthful and pleasant. Favorable to a variety of crops. Summers long and hot—humidity low. Average rainfall-31 inches. Average temperature-59.5 degrees. Effects from droughts could be avoided and more attention given to cultivation of moisture thru deeper plowing. Average dates of first and last killing frost—November 5, April 8.
Description of Agriculture. History of Development since Settlement. Leading crops in prairie—wheat, corn, oats, Kafir corn, prairie grasses, stock-raising. Leading crops of sand belt—cotton, peach growing. The methods of planting are described.
Acreage and Yield of Crops. Wheat, 60,048, yielding 908,490 bushels; corn, 541,111, yielding 1,475,350 bushels ; cotton, 16,888, yielding 4,716 bales ; oats, 14,223, yielding 497,720 bushels ; prairie grass, 14,782, yielding 11,906 tons ; 4,690 forage, yielding 9,368 tons ; Kafir corn, 4,122, yielding 89,597 bushels ; other crops—alfalfa, sorghum, broom corn, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, millet, Hungarian grasses, peanuts, castor-bean. The principal stock raised is beef cattle.
Farming Conditions. Little rotation of stock. Labor scarce and difficult to procure. Fifty-eight and eight-tenth per cent of farms operated by owners. Rent $1 to $3 per acre. Land prices—$.9.0 per acre sandy territory ; $10 to $80 per acre on prairie. Greatest opportunities—cattle, horse-raising, dairying.