DRV FARMING 177 



hoeing is as important there as in temperate 

 countries, but what of the value of the fallow ? 

 The system of dry farming, in which the fallow 

 is an important item, is advocated for countries 

 with a rainfall of from 10 to 15 inches, or, as 

 some authorities state, 10 to 25 inches. All appear 

 to agree that with a rainfall below 10 inches 

 irrigation is necessary. As there is no part of 

 the Province of Mozambique with less than 15 

 inches of rain, it would appear that fallowing is 

 not required. But the sun is much stronger in 

 the tropics than in temperate latitudes, and more 

 water is caught and evaporated again before being 

 able to escape to safety below than would be the 

 case in colder climates. A rainfall, say, 25 inches, 

 suflQcient for the needs of a crop in high latitudes, 

 would amount to nothing short of drought in 

 equatorial regions. It is an open question whether 

 Lourenzo Marques does not come within the limits 

 of fallow farming ; and it is a point that could 

 usefully be made the subject of experiment. 



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