38 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



there is an actual loss of plant food from the 

 soil, so much of the natural stored plant food is 

 made available that the producing power of the 

 soil continually increases. The plant food ele- 

 ments used up when a crop is fed to hogs is only 

 15 per cent., and when fed to horses, cattle or 

 sheep it is only four or five per cent, of the total. 

 The balance is left in the manure and may be re- 

 turned to the soil. The manure is a very im- 

 portant item also, to be added to arid soils, as it 

 increases their vegetable mold, making them very 

 retentive of moisture and helping the work of 

 soil bacteria and chemical agents. 



We would suggest also that many of the 

 grains raised for stock food may be cut and fed 

 without threshing, which avoids the extra work 

 of threshing and hauling to market. There are 

 great opportunities in the arid region on account 

 of our market facilities, our favorable climate 

 and the natural richness of our stock foods in 

 protein, for the building up of profitable stock 

 feeding industries. The feeding of lambs is al- 

 ready of much importance, and there is hardly a 

 location in which the raising and feeding of 

 hogs, principally of the bacon type, cannot be 

 made highly profitable. Poultry properly man- 

 aged always give good returns. Many dry farm- 

 ers also will have the use of more or less adjoin- 

 ing range for the pasturage and partial support 

 of their stock. 



