192 DRY-FARMING 
The lesson then to be learned from this chapter 
is, that it is not sufficient for the dry-farmer to store 
an abundance of water in the soil and to prevent that 
water from evaporating directly from the soil; but the 
soil must be kept in such a state of high fertility that 
plants are enabled to utilize the stored moisture in 
the most economical manner. Water storage, the 
prevention of evaporation, and the maintenance of 
soil fertility go hand in hand in the development of 
a successful system of farming without irrigation. 
