4i REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE 



Dry farming. The saving of irrigation water in wheat 

 growing in India is one of the problems which is certain to 

 receive, in the future, an increasing amount of attention 

 on the part of the Agricultural Department. Any exten- 

 sion of the area irrigated by the water now available means 

 increased revenue to Government and greater openings for 

 the surplus agricultural population. At the same time, 

 the less water applied per unit area, the smaller is the 

 danger of waterlogging and of interference with the 

 general healthiness of the locality. A study of the wheat 

 crop under irrigation in many parts of India indicates 

 that too much water is often given and that satisfactory 

 crops can be grown with much less than is now applied. 

 This is particularly the case in the Quetta valley, where 

 good crops of wheat are only grown on heavily manured 

 land which receives at least six and sometimes more water- 

 ings. These frequent waterings are considered essential, 

 as the crop has to ripen under a rapidly increasing 

 temperature and in a wind-swept area where the humidity 

 is low. The circumstances at Quetta appeared to be 

 exceedingly favourable for experiments in water saving. 

 These have been completed during the year at the new 

 Experiment Station and the results are of more than local 

 interest. It has been found that very satisfactory crops of 

 wheat can be grown on a single irrigation. This is applied 

 to the land during September after which it is cultivated 

 and sown in October. A good germination is obtained 

 and there is ample moisture in the sub-soil for the develop- 

 ment of a deep root system during the autumn and winter. 

 After each fall of winter rain or snow, the soil moisture 

 is conserved by harrowing with the Canadian lever harrow 

 and, by the time the crop begins to shoot in March, there 

 is a good deal of moisture left in the ground. There is 

 also an ample supply of air for the roots and crops grown 

 in this way ripen much earlier and better than the ordinary 

 irrigated crop. The wheat thus escapes a good deal of 

 the heat and dry winds of May and June. The yield 

 obtained on an area of 2-85 acres of unmanured land at 



