32 DRY LAND FARMING 



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it is not, there is much room for the practise of dry farm- 

 ing methods. 



Dry farming in Asia. In very large areas in Asia 

 the annual precipitation is very light, hence crops, if 

 grown at all, must be grown by dry farming methods in 

 the absence of irrigation. These areas are found both 

 north and south of the Himalaya mountains, and also in 

 the southwestern provinces. 



North of the Himalaya mountains are vast areas of 

 semi-arid country, and considerable areas that are arid. 

 The extent of these is not accurately known. The rain- 

 fall is very light, hence only such plants can be grown 

 as are markedly drought-resistant. It is in this region 

 that some of the hardiest of the alfalfa crops are found. 



Large areas in India and China have a long season 

 during which rain does not fall. In some of these, the 

 precipitation at the usual season is plentiful, in others 

 it is not copious. In either case, the necessity for 

 practising dry farm methods is always present and in 

 the latter instances it is imperatively necessary. In China 

 especially, dry farming is of great antiquity, but even 

 now the methods practised are crude. 



In southwestern Asia there are very large areas 

 that are semi-arid. This applies to all or nearly all 

 of Asia Minor, Palestine and Arabia. Much of the 

 latter country is positively arid. In all of these there is 

 great room for the practise of dry farming. The areas 

 that can be tilled by the ordinary methods in the absence 

 of irrigation are very limited, and especially in Arabia 

 are extensive areas that are positively and in many in- 

 stances hopelessly arid. 



Dry farming in Africa. Dry farming has been prac- 

 tised in certain parts of Africa from the remotest times. 

 Especially is this true of the states of northern Africa 

 which border upon the Mediterranean, but it is also true 



