The Conquest of the Desert 



Apulia durum wheat was produced on which no 

 rain fell from seed-time till harvest. Side by- 

 side with the lands bearing crops are the fallow 

 lands, ploughed and harrowed, waiting for the 

 rain to be absorbed and held for the next plant- 

 ing season. Many farmers in South Africa stand 

 idly waiting for the rains in order to plough and 

 plant their crops. But the dry farmer, who 

 prepares his land the year before, can plant 

 early in the season without fear of drought or 

 the risk of late frosts. The soil on the Lichten- 

 burg farm is a light, shallow, sandy loam lying 

 on a gravel subsoil. It is a poor soil for dry- 

 farming, but it is a convincing proof of what 

 can be done by thorough and systematic tillage. 



Moisture Bank and Humus Bank 



Hardly a season passes but we hear of crops 

 that have failed because of lack of rain, and this 

 complaint is not confined to any particular 

 Dominion, but is more or less common to all 

 parts of the Empire. Search the pages of the 

 rural magazines, consult the columns of the 

 daily Press, and, sooner or later, your eye will 

 light on that sombre line : " The crop has 

 failed this year owing to drought." And the 

 amazing thing is that no remedy is ever sug- 



114 



