CHAPTER X 

 CROPS THAT MAY BE GROWN IN DRY AREAS 



The range of the crops that may be grown in dry 

 areas is wide, but not so wide as in humid areas. This 

 applies not only to species, but also to varieties within 

 the species. It would be fair to concede that dry areas 

 have adaptation less high than humid areas: (1) for 

 growing hay and pasture plants; (2) for growing roots 

 and tubers ; (3) for growing fruits and vegetables, and 

 (4) for growing forest trees and windbreaks. This is 

 not true, however, of small grains and of certain culti- 

 vated crops nor is it true of all kinds of hay, for the 

 average yield of alfalfa in dry areas is more than the 

 average yield of many hay crops in humid areas. But it 

 is in the production of small grains that the dry areas 

 chiefly excel. The labor of growing these crops is rela- 

 tively greater in dry areas, but the compensation comes 

 in part in the large yields obtained, in part from the little 

 loss of the crop and in labor from bad weather, and in 

 the slight loss in fertility from leaching. 



Crops that should be grown. The crops that should 

 be grown are the following: (1) Those that will grow 

 best under a light precipitation ; .(2) those that will best 

 endure a dry atmosphere ; (3) those that mature early 

 rather than late. Some crops that should not be grown 

 will also be considered. 



The amount of precipitation called for to grow crops 

 of different species varies greatly. Clover crops call for 

 a higher precipitation than alfalfa. Oat crops need more 

 rain than wheat or rye. Corn calls for more moisture 

 than the non-saccharine sorghums. Cottonwood trees 

 must have more moisture to grow them at their best 

 than white willows, and white willows do not require 

 so much as diamond willows. Crops of the same species 



