DRY-FARMING 



sub-surface packing or the fine firm fit- 

 ting of the lower portion of the furrow- 

 slice results in three things: (1) The 

 water-holding capacity— or soil reservoir 

 — where the main roots grow is enlarged; 

 (2) the movement of the moisture from 

 the lower and deeper soil layers to the 

 roots of the plants is quickened; (3) the 

 area of the feeding roots is greatly ex- 

 tended. These three factors usually re- 

 sult in carrying a crop successfully 

 through a long, hot, dry period ; whereas 

 a crop grown under the ordinary meth- 

 ods would be seriously stunted in growth 

 if, indeed, it survived at all. 



Summer Culture. 



More important, however, than the in- 

 vention of the sub-surface packer is the 

 method advocated by Mr. Campbell for 

 the conservation of soil moisture over a 

 period of from six months to one year, 

 152 



