80 DRY FARMING 



mitting the land to lie fallow and accumulate 

 moisture for a longer time in the fall ; 



4. Increasing the organic matter content of light soil 

 types so as to increase their moisture-holding power 

 and decrease the loss of moisture by percolation. 



The storage of moisture in new or prairie land or sod 

 land is accomplished by 



1. Breaking and leaving idle for a year (less in some 

 areas) in order to make the land receptive for the 

 summer rains ; 



2. Breaking early in order that the loss of moisture 

 through the growth of native vegetation may be 

 prevented ; 



The storage of moisture in stulUe land is accom- 

 plished by 



1. Leaving a long stubble to hold snow which on melt- 

 ing adds water to the soil; or 



2. Cultivating with discs or even by shallow plowing 

 early in the fall so that the soil may be put in a 

 condition to absorb more of the water from melting 

 snows. (Note that (1) and (2) are not possible on 

 the same area). 



54. Conserving Moisture in the Soil.— Moisture that has 

 been stored in the soil may be lost in one or more of only 

 three ways: 



(1) by seepage or drainage through the soil, 



(2) by evaporation from the surface into the atmos- 

 phere, 



(3) by passing out through the stems and leaves of 

 growing plants in the natural processes of growth. 



The loss through seepage or drainage is very little 

 in dry climates except on light or coarse grained soils 

 or soils having a subsoil that is sandy or gravelly. On 



