STORING WATER BY DEEP PLOWING 125 



vation. Moreover, the practice of fallowing should 

 be varied with the climatic conditions. In districts 

 of low rainfall, 10-15 inches, the land should be clean 

 summer-fahowed every other year; under very low 

 rainfall iserhaps even two out of three years; in 

 districts of more abundant rainfall, 15-20 inches, 

 perhaijs one year out of every three or four is suffi- 

 cient. Where the precipitation comes during the 

 growing season, as in the Great Plains area, fallowing 

 for the storage of water is less important than where 

 the major part of the rainfall comes during the fall 

 and winter. However, any system of dry-farming 

 that omits fallowing wholly from its practices is 

 in danger (jf failure in dry years. 



Deep plouy'ing for water storage 



It has been attempted in this chapter to demon- 

 strate that water falling upon a soil may descend to 

 great depths, and may be stored in the soil from year 

 to year, subject to the needs of the crop that may be 

 planted. By what cultural treatment may this 

 downward descent of the water be accelerated by the 

 farmer? First and foremost, by plowing at the 

 right time and to the right depth. Plowing should 

 be done deeply and thoroughly so that the falling 

 water may immediately be drawn down to the full 

 depth of the loose, spongy, plowed soil, away from 

 the action of the sunshine or winds. The moisture 



