CHAPTER XVIII 



THE PEESENT STATUS OF DRY-FARMING 



It is difficult to obtain a correct view of the pres- 

 ent status of dry-farming, first, because dry-farm 

 surveys are only beginning to be made and, secondly, 

 because the area under dry-farm cultivation is in- 

 creasing daily by leaps and bounds. All arid and 

 semiarid parts of the world are reaching out after 

 methods of soil culture wherebj^ profitable crops 

 may be produced without irrigation, and the practice 

 of dry-farming, according to modern methods, is 

 now followed in many diverse coimtries. The United 

 States undoubtedly leads at present in the area 

 actually under dr}'-farming, but, in view of the 

 immense dry-farm districts in other parts of the 

 world, it is doubtful if the United States will always 

 maintain its supremacy in dry-farm acreage. The 

 leadership in the development of a science of dry- 

 farming will probably remain with the United States 

 for years, since the numerous experiment stations 

 established for the study of the j^roblems of farming 

 without irrigation have their work well under way, 

 while, with the exception of one or two stations in 

 Russia and Canada, no other countries have experi- 

 ment stations for the study of dry-farming in full 



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