WHAT IS MEANT BY DRY FARMING 15 



rainfall is less than, say, 10 inches, the production is more 

 or less uncertain. 



The character of the precipitation is far-reaching 

 in its influence. Should it come in the form of a cloud- 

 burst or even of a downpour which is not a cloudburst, 

 the hazard is present that much of it will be lost by run- 

 ning away over the surface, and that it will carry to lower 

 levels more or less valuable soil. Should it come in 

 the form of snow, the benefit to the soil and crops will 

 be governed largely by the condition of the soil when it 

 melts, and by the manner of the melting. "If the ground 

 is frozen hard and deeply below the snow and it thaws 

 quickly, only a small amount of it will reach the soil, 

 but if on the other hand the ground is but little frozen, 

 much of the resultant water will find its way - into the 

 soil, more especially when the soil has recently been 

 stirred to a good depth. On the other hand, if it vanishes 

 slowly in a dry atmosphere much of it will be absorbed 

 by the same, thus never reaching the ground. Should 

 the showers come very lightly and with considerable 

 frequency, they may do but little good, as without an 

 excessive amount of harrowing on cultivated land, the 

 loss of moisture could not be wholly or even chiefly pre- 

 vented. The greatest benefit results from the precipita- 

 tion when it comes moderately and in considerable 

 amounts at a time, and not too frequently. Nearly all the 

 influences named, it will be observed, are quite beyond 

 the control of man. 



The season of the precipitation is quite as important 

 as the character of the same, if not indeed more so. The 

 greater the amount of the precipitation relatively that 

 falls during the growing season, the greater is the por- 

 duction likely to be that arises therefrom. In much of 

 the western portion of the semi-arid country, more than 

 50 per cent, of the precipitation comes during the season 

 of growth. Westward in the same, more of it comes 



