SECTION LVIII FARMING ON DRY LANDS 



Almost in the center of the western half of our continent 

 there is a vast area in which very little rain falls. This 

 section includes nearly three hundred million acres of land. 

 It stretches from Canada on the north into Texas on the 

 south, and from the Missouri River (including the Dakotas 

 and western Minnesota) on the east to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains on the west. In this great area farming has to be 

 done with little water. This sort of farming is therefore 

 called "dry farming." 



The soil in this section is as a rule very fertile. There- 

 fore the difference between farming in this dry belt and 

 farming in most of the other sections of our country is a 

 difference mainly due to a lack of moisture. 



As water is so scarce in this region two things are of the 

 utmost importance : first, to save all the rain as it falls ; 

 second, to save all the water after it has fallen. First, to 

 save the rain as it falls, it is necessary for the ground to 

 be in such condition that none of the much-needed rain 

 may run off. Every drop should go into the soil. Hence 

 the farmer should never allow his top soil to harden into 

 a crust. Such a crust will keep the rain from sinking 

 into the thirsty soil. Moreover the soil should be deeply 

 plowed. The deeper the soil the more water it can hold. 

 The land should also be kept as porous as possible, for 

 water enters a porous soil freely. The addition of humus 



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