CROPS THAT MAY BE GROWN IN DRY AREAS 207 



the earlier varieties, gives the crop high adaptation for 

 certain portions of the semi-arid country. 



Artichokes will only, or at least mainly, be grown 

 as food for live stock and especially for swine. This fact 

 will tend much to restrict the area of their growth. Nev- 

 ertheless they can be grown over wide areas of the semi- 

 arid country. The mild character of the winters in much 

 of this area also favors the easy harvesting of the crop 

 when grown, as it may be harvested by swine, even 

 during the winter months, should this be desired. 



Peanuts may be grown in many areas where the 

 moisture supply is limited and where the climate is suf- 

 ficiently mild. They may be grown for live stock, for 

 the market and also to provide food for live stock, espe- 

 cially swine, which feed upon them where they grow. 



In growing these crops, certain hazards are to be 

 avoided. Unless germination is secured with consider- 

 able promptness, the hazard is present that in a very dry 

 season it may not be secured at all, hence the importance 

 of having the ground well prepared where these crops 

 are to be planted. Unless they are started relatively 

 early, the hazard is present that the plants will not be 

 able to make sufficient progress when the dry weather 

 of summer comes to insure proper development. The 

 hazard from early freezing is to be considered. This is 

 greatest in the potato and the artichoke, and least in 

 the carrot. Turnips will stand very hard frost in the 

 spring, but in the autumn they will stand much freezing, 

 especially those of the rutabaga types. Mangels and 

 sugar beets will not stand much freezing, either fall or 

 spring. 



It is to be remembered that though all these crops 

 can be grown in the semi-arid country, it is not prob- 

 able that they will be extensively grown for the market 

 unless in the case of the Irish potato. All these crops 

 may be more successfully grown under irrigation. This 



