22 



DKY FARMING IN THE GREAT BASIN. 



METHODS OF INTERSEASON TILLAGE. 

 The methods of farming now in use on the dry lands of the Great 

 Basin area are largely the results of private experiments, and con- 

 sequently thej possess some local peculiarities. It should be kept 

 in mind that there are some unusual features of climate and soil 

 in this region, such as the relatively light summer rainfall and a 

 deep heavy soil that holds large quantities of water. 



Deep plowing, frequent cultivation, and alternate-year cropping 

 have been used in retaining soil moisture, ^^lieat sown in the 

 autumn has been the chief crop grown on the dry lands, and for this 

 reason the land is plowed in the late summer as soon as possible 

 after the crop has been removed. The land is left in the rough 

 furrow all winter, and as soon as the winter rains have either soaked 

 in or dried off, surface cultivation is begun. This cultivation is 

 done chief!}' with a disk harroAv, though other implements are also 



used. Sometimes a 

 shallow summer 

 plowing is given to 

 kill and turn under 

 any weeds that have 

 escaped the lighter 

 cultivation. In the 

 late summer the 

 spike - toothed har- 

 r o w and other 

 smoothing i m p 1 e - 

 ments are used to 

 prepare a fine seed 

 bed, and the next 

 crop is sown in September or early in October. Since the winter rains 

 compact the soil and get it into such a condition that the direct loss 

 of water would be easy, it is often found desirable to lighth^ harrow 

 the wheat crop in the early spring, for after it starts to grow 

 nothing more can be done toward preventing the loss of water 

 until after harvest. Since wheat growing involves onlj^ the simpler 

 farm oj^erations. which may be performed on a large scale, there 

 have been special inducements to use large machinery and to econo- 

 mize the use of men. 



Large gang plows and large harrows are in common use, and the 

 grain header is used almost exclusively in harvesting the crop. In 

 a few cases steam is used as motive power for plowing, and 

 apparenth^ with success. A'^Tiere used it is always Avith a traction 

 engine, which draws the plows behind it instead of working with 

 a cable and operating from both sides of the field. 



Xo reliable data are at hand for estimating the relative cost of 



103 



Fig. 7. 



-Diagram showing the total annual precipitation at Paro- 

 wan, Utah, 1S91-1906. 



