Alfalfa Cultivation on Reclamation Projects in U.S. Mountain States, 1913-1925

ベイコク　サンガクブ　ノ　カイコン　ジギョウ　ニ　オケル　アルファルファ　サイバイ　1913-1925ネン

ヒダカ, タクロウ

Hidaka, Takuro

The Economic Society of Osaka University　and　Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University

オオサカ　ダイガク　ケイザイ　ガッカイ オオサカ　ダイガク　ダインガクイン　ケイザイガク　ケンキュウカ

アルファルファ

灌漑農業

畜産

Reclamation Project

Alfalfa

Irrigation Farming

Livestock Industry

The federal government provided irrigation water to the Western United States in the early 20 century. In such areas, the cultivated area of some crops such as cotton expanded and shrank in response to market trends. This paper examines the patterns of alfalfa in the mountain region. Unlike simple cash crops, alfalfa was a biological tool for producing other crops. Farmers used it as a soil conditioner as well as fodder. The acreage of alfalfa cultivation had expanded significantly before 1920 but the expansion stopped thereafter. The statistical analysis showed that the change was affected by the market trend of livestock industry and cotton. Moreover, when the cultivation of other crops, such as potatoes, was expanded in response to market trends, the cropping area of alfalfa was sometimes reduced. On the whole, alfalfa cultivation were affected by demand from the livestock industry. This result reflects the regional characteristics of the mountain region, where livestock farming was prevailing.