CHAPTER XX 
DRY-FARMING IN A NUTSHELL 
_ Locate the dry-farm in a section with an annual 
precipitation of more than ten inches and, if possible, 
with small wind movement. One man with four 
horses and plenty of machinery cannot handle more 
than from 160 to 200 acres. Farm fewer acres and 
farm them better. 
Select a clay loam soil. Other soils may be equally 
productive, but are cultivated properly with some- 
what more difficulty. 
Make sure, with the help of the soil auger, that 
the soil is of uniform structure to a depth of at least 
eight feet. If streaks of loose gravel or layers of 
hardpan are near the surface, water may be lost to 
the plant roots. 
After the land has been cleared and broken. let it 
lie fallow with clean cultivation, for one year. The 
increase in the first and later crops will pay for the 
waiting.. 
Always plow the land early in the fall, unless abun- 
dant experience shows that fall plowing is an unwise 
practice in the locality. Always plow deeply unless 
the subsoil is infertile, in which case plow a little 
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