THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



73 



Bi-ennial Cropping. 



"But in the Brazilian semi-arid zone it is necessary to prevent the 

 trouble that is brought to the process by an excessive rainfall, that 

 sometimes comes at once, while pass months and months without a drop 

 of rain. If such a thing can be done, if we can get something along 

 this line, I think the dry farming will be of successful application In 

 the semi-arid zone of Brazil, provided that we adopt the system of bi- 

 ennial or tri-ennial crops, to prevent the lack of sufficient rainfall in 

 the years of excessive drought like those we had some time ago. 



Summer Fallow. 



"In such a manner lands to be cultivated must be divided into 

 two or three portions, each of which holding two or three years moisture 

 for one good crop. One-half or one-third of the lands must be put in 

 crops each year, while the other one-half or two-thirds portions will be 

 keeping moisture by being summer fallowed. Thus the land will become 

 productive. But a little more than this is yet necessary for the perma- 

 nent establishment of the system, that will be more lasting. 



Modern Home Life. 



"It is necessary that the farmer may find around himself some com- 

 fort for the complete happiness of his home. It is necessary that in the 

 excess of sunshine he may find some comfortable shade near his home 

 given by the trees, which will render the temperature of the air more 

 agreeable. In addition to this there should be some fruit trees and a 

 small vegetable garden. 



Pumping Systems. 



"To get all of this our soil even in the semr dry lands is not lack- 

 ing in the fertility, and we have sufficient underground water for irriga- 

 tition of limited areas ,that can be easily pumped from wells by wind mills 

 or other more convenient machinery, the water being stored in a re- 

 servoir with sufficient capacity to regulate the irrigation. 



Wind Mills Necessary. 



"Even without such consideraiton that to m.any people would seem 

 of little importance in dry climates, the wells are a great necessity to 

 supply water for the household and stock purposes, avoiding the hard 

 work of obtaining water some times miles and miles from the farm. 



"From what I know by my own observation of the dry lands in my 

 country, combined with the lessons that I have learned in the great West 

 of America, I really do not know if we can do better by another way 

 along the line of dry farming. This is my humble opinion, but certainly 

 I give it to you with my highest appreciation of your great experience 

 with this so important subject, in which I am scarcely yet initiated. 



"As an engineer I have been working principally in water ways, 

 and I am especially interested in irrigation systems, but, besides this, 1 

 am investigating dry farming processes. 



