DRY-FARMING CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



205 



countries, wild leguminous plants flourish. They do so in Ceylon where 

 pila or tephrosia purpurea grows wild in the poor sandy soils of Jaffna, and 

 other dry regions, and are taken from thence in cartloads to manure tobacco 

 and other crops. Crotalarias also grow wild on sandy soils everywhere. 

 "Thus," he continues, "there are these leguminous crops which not only 

 yield wholesome and nourishing food (referring to soya-beans, ground-nuts, 

 etc.), but enrich the soil with nitrogen." 



Going back to the olive trees in Tunis dying of starvation, the above 

 more fully convinces me that their loss is often avoidable. Mr. Bevan claims 

 that an "advantage of dry-farming is that the soil does not require to be 

 manured to the same extent as an irrigated farm. The constant stirring 

 and aeration of the soil renders soluble the mud of the insoluble elements 

 of fertility in the soil." On the other hand, the. same authority goes on to 

 say that the "older dry-farms in Utah, which are among the oldest of the 

 country out there, have never been manured, yet are yielding better crops 

 today than they did a generation ago." This is not the case with irrigated 

 lands, but it makes one wonder whether it was necessary for the Tunisian 

 olive tree to die, or if cultivation alone could have saved them, if the roots 

 allowed. If it was the dry mulching that by exhausting the soil brought 

 about their death, cannot some other means be introduced to conserve the 

 moisture without exhausting the soil; or can the trees be manured under- 

 ground in holes as suggested? 



And so the tale goes on, but I must stop, although not half through my 

 notes. I did not mean to be so long and apologize for taking up so much 

 time. 



I will conclude by saying that in March last, a little over two candies 

 ( =1120 lbs., or % ton) of crops produced from cocoanut palms cultivated in 

 the dry zone, viz. at our old friend Maha Illupallama, were sold in Ceylon 

 at excellent prices at the time, viz. Rs 84. (R= Is. 4d, or 32 cents) a candy, 

 being the highest price realized at that sale, the next best being Rs 83.50, or 

 16 cents American, less. 



The foregoing and other facts that have come to hand from time to 

 time, go to prove that the tropical planter owning land in a dry-zone dis- 

 trict would be wise to pay as much attention to dry-farming, its methods 

 and advantages, as you go-ahead folks in America and Canada have done 

 for years past. Wheat, which is needed so much at present; maize, rice 

 (in places), and other cereal crops could be grown, I feel sure, with suc- 

 cess and profit, if planted by means of drills and perhaps a small applica- 

 tion of some fertilizer at the same time (to nourish the seed and perhaps 

 act as an insecticide as well), between rows of green manure that could 

 be turned in, or spread over the ground as a mulch after the cereal crop 

 had been removed. Meanwhile if soya or ground nuts can be made to 

 yield, a crop from them may in some favorable cases be gathered as well, 

 but in such a case always sacrifice your green manure for the sake of the 

 cereal, i. e. the main crop, if necessary. 



