DRY-FARMING 



other factors being equal, is obviously the 

 one with the lowest evaporation. The 

 demands upon the soil are here the small- 

 est and in times of scanty rainfall the 

 settler has a proportionately better 

 chance to mature a fair crop." A series 

 of evaporation determinations has been 

 made recently by the Department of 

 Agriculture at various points throughout 

 the West during the six months of 

 spring and summer. These tests were 

 made by means of a freely exposed 

 tank set in the soil, and some remarkable 

 results were obtained. At North Dakota, 

 with a summer rainfall of 13 inches 

 the evaporation was 30 inches and at 

 Amarillo, Texas, during the same period, 

 with a summer rainfall of 13 inches, the 

 evaporation was 54 inches. Summarizing 

 these experiments, Briggs says : "In other 

 words, with the same rainfall in North 

 Dakota and at Amarillo, during the 

 100 



