CHAPTER IX 

 SOWING AND PLANTING IN DRY AREAS 



In some respects the methods to be pursued in sow- 

 ing grain and planting seeds of all kinds in dry areas 

 are the same as in humid areas. In other respects the 

 contrast is very marked. The rules that govern correct 

 sowing and planting are much more exact and inflexi- 

 ble than those which govern the same in humid areas. 

 This less degree of latitude in dry areas relates: (1) to 

 the time of planting; (2) to the mode of planting; (3) 

 to the depth to plant ; (4) to the amount of seed to use, 

 and (5) to the soil conditions at the time of planting. 

 In humid areas, for instance, plants may be sown early 

 or late, and more or less of a crop may be looked for, 

 whereas in dry areas a late-sown crop may completely 

 fail. In humid areas germination may be good from both 

 drill and broadcast sowing, in dry areas the seed may 

 fail to germinate from the latter when it will not so fail 

 from the former. In humid areas plants will germinate 

 within any reasonable distance of the surface, in dry areas 

 they will only germinate when down far enough to 

 reach moisture. In humid areas good results may fol- 

 low in each instance from free seeding and in varying 

 quantities, in dry areas limited quantities only will 

 give results. In humid areas seed may be sown with the 

 expectation that rain may come ; in dry areas such ex- 

 pectation may prove fallacious. Sowing and planting in 

 dry areas call for much more exactness than in humid 

 areas. 



The advantages from drill sowing. Drill sowing is 

 much superior to broadcast sowing in dry areas. In fact 

 it is so much superior to broadcast sowing that it may 

 in a sense be said that there is no place for the latter. 

 Drill sowing has the following among other advantages : 



