200 DRY-FARMING 
The theory, recently proposed, that in the Great 
Plains area, where the rains come chiefly in summer, 
the growing of hoed crops may take the place of the 
summer fallow, is said to be based on experimental 
data not yet published. Careful and conscientious 
experimenters, as Chilcott and his co-laborers, indi- 
cate in their statements that in many cases the yields 
of wheat, after a hoed crop, have been larger than 
after a fallow year. The doctrine has, therefore, been 
rather widely disseminated that fallowing has no place 
in the dry-farming of the Great Plains area and 
should be replaced by the growing of hoed crops. 
Chilcott, who is the chief exponent of this doctrine, 
declares, however, that it is only with, spring-grown 
crops and for a succession of normal years that fallow- 
ing may be omitted, and that fallowing must be re- 
sorted to as a safeguard or temporary expedient to 
guard against total loss of crop where extreme drouth 
is anticipated; that is, where the rainfall falls below 
the average. He further explains that continuous 
grain cropping, even with careful plowing and spring 
and fall tillage, is unsuccessful; but holds that certain 
rotations of crops, including grain and a hoed crop 
every other year, are often more profitable than grain 
alternating with clean summer fallow. He further 
believes that the fallow year every-third or fourth 
year is sufficient for Great Plains conditions. Jar- 
dine explains that whenever fall grain is grown in the 
Great Plains area, the fallow is remarkably helpful, 
