SPECIAL FARM TOPICS 223 



and bred under arid conditions. Thousands of failures have oc- 

 curred that have been due to other than climatic causes. Men came 

 and used seeds and methods adapted only to humid regions and per- 

 sisted in the face of continuous failures until they lost their all. 



No man should think of dry farming by what are generally 

 considered improved methods as an indifferent or lazy man's job. 

 Dry farming, to be successful and permanent, is necessarily good 

 farming. The indifferent farmer will get a few good crops, many 

 poor ones, and many almost complete failures. The man who has 

 failed in a more humid region should not expect to succeed in the 

 Great Plains. In a humid region any kind of cultivation is almost 

 sure to bring some kind of crop, but not so in the dry country. It 

 is only the best and most systematic farming that can be expected 

 to give even moderate returns in unfavorable seasons, and in some 

 seasons even this will fail. 



Systems of Dry Farming. For convenience dry farming may 

 be divided into three main systems: 1. Crops annually, a system 

 whereby a crop, whether heavy or light, is grown every year. Prob- 

 ably crops may be grown every year with say 18 inches of rainfall, 

 provided the proper methods are followed and the rainfall is properly 

 distributed for storage and cropping. 2. Crops biennially, a sys- 

 tem under which crops are grown only every other year. In Utah 

 yields of 30 bushels of wheat per acre have been obtained every 

 other year with an annual rainfall of 12 inches and good crops 

 biennially have been reported with an annual precipitation of only 

 8 inches. The soil was of an excellent character and the methods 

 employed were up-to-date. 3. A modification or combination of the 

 first and second. Under this class may be mentioned the produc- 

 tion of two crops in three years, three crops in five years, or two 

 crops in one year, one being a catch or cover crop, sown for its 

 effect upon the soil or the soil moisture, to be plowed under before 

 the regular crop is sown. 



The system chosen. for any getrtion must necessarily depend 

 upon a number of conditions, among which may be mentioned : The 

 rainfall ; the distribution of the rainfall ; the length of the growing 

 season ; the general climatic conditions, such as the humidity of the 

 atmosphere, the number of cloudy and clear days, the day and night 

 temperature, and the windsweep; the elevation; the general aspect 

 of the country and the farm ; the character of the soil and subsoil ; 

 the depth of the soil and subsoil ; the machinery available ; and last 

 but not least, the means for the disposal of the products. 



There is a tendency of plants to adapt themselves to the climatic 

 and soil conditions under which they grow. The native vegetation- 

 of arid regions have acquired certain characteristics and habits by 

 reason of which they are able to flourish with a scant supply of 

 moisture. The structure of the surface of the leaves and stems is 

 such that they do not transpire as freely as plants growing in humid 

 climates. The most striking characteristic, however, is deep rooting 

 which enables them to draw moisture from a large area of soil and 

 this is the main cause of their remarkable drought-resistance. The 



