DRY-FARMING 



not so. Even in America the farmers of 

 Utah have been raising crops on their 

 dry- lands with a rainfall of less than 15 

 inches for over half a century. More than 

 that: dry-farming has been practised 

 since the dawn of civiHzation in Mesopo- 

 tamia in Egypt, and in northwestern 

 India. And, as Hilgard has pointed out, 

 the great depth of soil in arid regions as 

 compared with that of humid climates 

 undoubtedly explains largely why the 

 ancient agriculturists could remain in 

 the same country for thousands of years 

 without having any knowledge of scien- 

 tific agriculture. Most farmers are aware 

 of the fact that the roots of plants go far 

 deeper in dry regions than they do in 

 damp climates. Now if the roots of 

 plants can penetrate to great depth, so 

 surely must both moisture and air. It 

 would thus seem that an all-wise Provi- 

 dence had amply compensated the agri- 

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