DRY-FARMING 



CHAPTER I 



HISTORY OF DRY-FARMING 



IN the study of dry-farming we are 

 naturally led at the outset to ask what 

 is the real meaning of the term "desert." 

 The dictionary defines it as "a barren 

 tract incapable of supporting popula- 

 tion, as the vast sand plains of Asia and 

 Africa, which are destitute of moisture 

 and vegetation." Such a definition is 

 apt to mislead us unless we constantly 

 bear in mind that what is now a desert 

 region may be transformed in a few 

 years into a country of fertile fields ca- 

 pable of sustaining a large population. 

 The most striking illustration of this fact 

 is to be found in America. Spread out 

 3 



