386 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



what per cent of his soil is good or bad. Soils 

 that have been formed by rivers that have 

 washed the materials long distances, are apt to be 

 spotted. There may be gravel beds, sand beds, 

 clay banks or river silt. The winds may have 

 shifted the sands into dunes. Usually spotted- 

 ness in new soils will show plainly in spotted 

 crops for a year or more, but after a few seasons 

 of cultivation they become tamed alike and the 

 crop will be even in stand, growth and time of 

 maturing. Land and water are so valuable that, 

 it often pays to level down small hills and smooth 

 up comparatively rough land to put it in condi- 

 tion for irrigation. 



The points we have suggested in regard to 

 soil drainage and air drainage, are important in 

 selecting an irrigated farm. Where dairying or 

 special crop farming is practiced, the land 

 should be practically near a town or station. 



SUPPLE- By supplemental farming we mean the com- 



bination of dry f armirfg with the irrigated ranch, 

 or the use of small or irregular water supply for 

 irrigating a garden or other portion of a dry 

 farm. There are many locations where a good 

 home could be built and where neither the irriga- 

 tion farming or the dry farming would be suc- 

 cessful alone. There are many others where 

 such combinations would complete the system 

 and be highly profitable. This system has not 

 been given the notice it deserves. We believe it 



