GENERAL CLIMATIC FEATURES 49 
Drouth 
Drouth is said to be the arch enemy of the dry- 
farmer, but few agree upon its meaning. For the 
purposes of this volume, drouth may be defined as a 
condition under which crops fail to mature because 
of an insufficient supply of water. Providence has 
generally been charged with causing drouths, but 
under the above definition, man is usually the cause. 
Occasionally, relatively dry years occur, but they 
are seldom dry enough to cause crop failures if 
proper methods of farming have been practiced. 
There are four chief causes of drouth: (1) Improper 
or careless preparation of the soil; (2) failure to 
store the natural precipitation in the soil; (8) 
failure to apply proper cultural methods for keep- 
ing the moisture in the soil until needed by plants, 
and (4) sowing too much seed for the available soil- 
moisture. 
Crop failures due to untimely frosts, blizzards, 
cyclones, tornadoes, or hail may perhaps be charged 
to Providence, but the dry-farmer must accept the 
responsibility for any crop injury resulting from 
drouth. A fairly accurate knowledge of the climatic 
conditions of the district, a good understanding of 
the principles of agriculture. without irrigation under 
a low rainfall, and a vigorous application of these 
principles as adapted to the local climatic conditions 
will make dry-farm failures a rarity. 
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