212 DRY-FARMING 
constant cultivation and well-kept summer fallow 
of dry-farming develop large quantities of nitrates in 
the soil, it will be understood that the methods of 
dry-farming as already outlined accelerate germina- 
tion very greatly. 
It scarcely need be said that the soil of the seed- 
bed should be fine, mellow, and uniform in physical 
texture so that the seeds can be planted evenly 
and in close contact with the soil particles. All the 
requisite conditions for germination are best met by 
the conditions prevailing in a well-kept summer 
fallowed soil. 
Time to sow 
In the consideration of the time to sow, the first 
question to be disposed of by the dry-farmer is that 
of fall as against spring sowing. The small grains 
occur as fall and spring varieties, and it is vitally im- 
portant to determine which season, under dry-farm 
conditions, is the best for sowing. 
The advantages of fall sowing are many. As 
stated, successful germination is favored by the 
presence of an abundance of fertility, especially of 
nitrates, in the soil. In summer-fallowed land 
nitrates are always found in abundance in the fall, 
ready to stimulate the seed into rapid germination 
and the young plants into vigorous growth. During 
the late fall and winter months the nitrates disap- 
pear, at least in part, and from the point of view of 
