198 DRY-FARMING 



It is undoubtedly true that the thorough tillage 

 invoh^ed in dry-farming exposes to the action of the 

 elements the organic matter of the soil and thereby 

 favors rapid oxidation. For that reason the different 

 wa}'s in which organic matter may be supplied regu- 

 larly to dry-farms are pointed out in Chapter XIV. 

 It may also be observed that the header harvesting 

 system employed over a large part of the dry-farm 

 territory leaves the large header stubble to be plowed 

 under, and it is ]3rol)able that under such methods 

 more organic matter is added to the soil during the 

 year of cropping than is lost during the year of fallow- 

 ing. It may, moreover, be observed that thorough 

 tillage of a crop like corn or potatoes tends to cause a 

 loss of the organic matter of the soil to a degree nearl}^ 

 as large as is the case when a fallow field is well cul- 

 tivated. The thorough stirring of the soil under an 

 arid or somiaiid climate, which is an essential feature 

 of dry-farming, will always result in a decrease in 

 organic matter. It matters little whether the soil is 

 fallow or in crop during the j^roccss of cultivation, so 

 far as the result is concerned. 



A serious matter connected with fallowing in the 

 Great Plains area is the blowing of the loose well- 

 tilled soil of the fallow fields, which results from the 

 heavy winds that blow so steadily over a large part of 

 the western slope of the Mississippi Valley. This is 

 largely avoided when crops are grown on the land, 

 even when it is well tilled. 



