CROPS FOR DRY-FARMING 233 
harvests must use every care to secure varieties of 
crops that through generations of breeding have be- 
come adapted to the conditions prevailing on his 
farm. Home-grown seeds, if grown properly, are 
therefore of the highest value. In fact, in the dis- 
tricts where dry-farming has been practiced longest 
the best yielding varieties are, with very few excep- 
tions, those that have been grown for many succes- 
Sive years on the same lands. The comparative 
newness of the attempts to produce profitable crops 
in the present dry-farming territory and the conse- 
quent absence of home-grown seed has rendered it 
wise to explore other regions of the world, with similar 
climatic conditions, but long inhabited, for suitable 
crop varieties. The United States Department of 
Agriculture has accomplished much good work in 
this direction. The breeding of new varieties by 
scientific methods is also important, though really 
valuable results cannot be expected for many years ~ 
to come. When results do come from breeding ex- 
periments, they will probably be of the greatest value 
to the dry-farmer. Meanwhile, it must be acknowl- 
edged that at the present, our knowledge of dry- 
farm crops is extremely limited. Every year will 
probably bring new additions to the list and great 
improvements of the crops and varieties now recom- 
mended. The progressive dry-farmer should there- 
fore keep in close touch With state and government 
workers concerning the best varieties to use. 
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