CROPS THAT MAY BE GROWN IN DRY AREAS 193 



apply to both species and varieties. All winter crops, 

 as, for instance, winter wheat, winter barley, winter rye 

 and winter oats, mature earlier than spring-sown varie- 

 ties of the same. This means that these should be grown 

 in preference to the spring-sown varieties whenever the 

 climatic conditions will admit of growing them with 

 measurable success in the winter form. These will all 

 mature earlier when grown in the winter form than if 

 sown in the spring, and as a result they are injured much 

 less by the drought and heat of the late summer than 

 the same species when they are sown in the spring form. 

 This means, therefore, that such species as mature early 

 should be given the preference. It means also that early 

 maturing varieties within the species should be given 

 the preference, other things being equal. The crops 

 that should not be grown under semi-arid conditions in- 

 clude all crops that call for a copious rainfall and a moist 

 atmosphere to grow them at their best. This will narrow 

 considerably the number of species that may be grown, 

 and also the number of the varieties. It will exclude 

 nearly all varieties of crops that flourish at their best 

 under moist conditions. None of these should be grown 

 other than in a tentative way under dry land conditions. 

 To attempt, for instance, to grow rape, kale and serra- 

 della extensively in semi-arid areas by the same methods 

 under which they are grown in humid areas would be 

 most unwise, notwithstanding the fact should not be over- 

 looked that on some of the higher elevations these crops 

 may be grown with a fair measure of success, even in 

 the presence of dry atmospheric conditions. 



Cereal crops that may be grown. In this discussion 

 will be considered the place for the following cereal crops 

 in dry areas, viz. : (1) wheat; (2) flax; (3) rye; (4) bar- 

 ley; (5) oats; (6) speltz, and (7) peas. Buckwheat may 

 also be grown where the elevation is not too high, but 

 experience in growing it in such areas is limited as yet. 



