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 dr}^-farmer should there- 

 fore keep in close touch with state and government 

 workers concerning the best varieties to use. 



