ROTATION IN DRY AREAS 395 



This system facilitates the blowing of soils where 

 they are so light as to lift with the winds, because of 

 the loose condition in which they keep them on the sur- 

 face, for so large a part of the season. Owing to the 

 fine condition in which the particles are kept they are 

 carried away more readily by torrential rains, should 

 they come. It is so far fortunate, however, that the 

 average far western soil does not lift so readily with 

 the wind as the soils that cover areas of the prairie that 

 lie farther eastward. 



Rotation by alternating cultivated crops and grain. 

 This method of growing crops substitutes a cultivated 

 crop for the summer-fallow. It will be observed that it 

 does not widen the rotation. The discussion will con- 

 sider: (1) how such a rotation is conducted; (2) the 

 benefits resulting therefrom ; (3) the area where it is to 

 be practised and the objections to such a rotation. 



"Any kind of a grain crop may be grown in this rota- 

 tion that may be desired, providing it can be produced 

 under the climatic conditions. The cultivated crop may 

 be of any character that will involve a sufficiency of cul- 

 tivation while it is growing to result in the retention of 

 soil moisture to the greatest extent practicable. The 

 crops thus grown more commonly include corn, pota- 

 toes, field beans and field roots. Of these corn will be 

 grown to a greater extent, probably, than all the others 

 combined, a result which arises, first, from the relatively 

 small amount of hand labor involved in growing it, from 

 the large return in proportion to the labor, and from the 

 fact that it furnishes food for live stock larger in quantity 

 from a given area as a rule than can be obtained from 

 any other plant. Of course, the cultivated crop is grown 

 one year in the rotation and is followed by the grain 

 crop the next season. 



The benefits from such a rotation include, first, a 

 return from the land every year, which, under normal 



