GROWING CULTIVATED CROPS IN DRY AREAS 291 



The grain is sometimes removed by cutting or snapping 

 off the heads by hand, at other times by using the header, 

 and yet again by certain forms of threshing. Home 

 supplies of seed may be secured by removing choice 

 heads and suspending them beneath a roof until the 

 season for planting draws near. 



The yields of fodder are somewhat greater than those 

 of corn, as their adaptation to dry conditions is higher. 

 In the dry form, they will average from, say, 2 to 3 

 tons per acre. The yields of grain vary greatly with *he 

 season, but these also are higher than those produced 

 by corn under similar conditions of growth. Milo maize 

 produces more grain than the other sorghums. Under 

 favorable conditions of growth, an average of 40 bushels 

 per acre has frequently been obtained. 



GROWING POTATOES 



The potato crop is one of the surest for dry land 

 conditions. There are instances in which it has been 

 grown with reasonable success for many successive years 

 where the annual precipitation is not more than 12 

 inches. When grown under dry conditions, the potatoes 

 are of higher quality than when grown under irrigation. 

 When grown under irrigation, immense yields may be 

 obtained from judicious culture, but the tubers are more 

 watery, and they soon become less valuable for seed than 

 those grown without irrigation, hence the demand for 

 such potatoes is likely to continue good. The best cli- 

 matic conditions for potatoes are found in the northerly 

 areas of the semi-arid belt and on the higher elevations 

 southward. They do not flourish so well where the 

 climate is hot. 



Soils. Sandy loams furnish the best soils for po- 

 tatoes, but good crops may be obtained from any rea- 

 sonably good loam soil. Stiff clays are objectionable, as 

 much labor is involved in order to bring them into a good 



