DRY-FARMING ZONES 



to form a fine seed-bed, and the next crop 

 is sown in the month of September or 

 early in October. As the winter rains 

 tend to compact the soil it is usual to 

 lightly harrow the wheat crop in the early 

 spring, as once it starts to grow nothing 

 more can be done to conserve the mois- 

 ture. The grain is usually harvested with 

 a header so that there is always a large 

 amount of straw to plow under. 



The old agricultural practice of fal- 

 lowing or plowing land and then leaving 

 it untilled for a time was adopted to 

 render the soil more tender and mellow, 

 and at the same time to destroy weeds. 

 But in the Great Basin, where dry-farm- 

 ing is now much in vogue, the term 

 "fallow" is commonly used to mean land 

 left bare but constantly stirred to con- 

 serve moisture. All farmers know that 

 moisture is lost very rapidly from a soil if 

 the surface is not stirred; and so with 

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