304 . DRY FARMING 



Dry farming in the Great Plains area, in common with 

 all farming, to be successful must be systematized, and in 

 order to accomplish this, some definite rotation of crops 

 should be established. In planning such a rotation, due 

 consideration should be given to all the factors here enu- 

 merated, as they apply to each particular farm and far- 

 mer. With these considerations clearly in mind, it is 

 believed that no intelligent farmer will experience any 

 great difficulty in adopting a system of crop rotation and 

 farm organization that will be better adapted to his con- 

 ditions than any that could be proposed by anyone less 

 familiar with these conditions than is the farmer him- 

 self. (Bui. 268— p. 27-28). 



DRY. FARMING PRACTICES IN KANSAS 



By L. E. Call, Professor of Agronomy, Agricultural 

 College, Manhattan, Kansas. 



The average annual rainfall of Kansas varies from less 

 than sixteen to over forty-five inches. In the eastern two- 

 thirds of the state, it exceeds twenty-two inches while in 

 the western third, it is less than this amount. The aver- 

 age annual rainfall is ample for all crops in the eastern 

 two-thirds of the State, but irregular distribution and 

 very rapid evaporation dfuring the growing season often 

 makes it necessary to conserve moisture with care if 

 profitable crops are to be produced. It is only in the west- 

 ern third of Kansas that moisture is so deficient that it is 

 necess'arj'- to use the bare summer fallow in the cropping 

 system. In this section, fallowing is not necessary more 

 often than once in three to five years, and even then may 



