186 



THIRD ANNUAL SESSIONS 



ti'on. There is also a longer summer day when the sun pours its energy' 

 to the plant life. 



Evaporation. 



"In the south the weather is hotter with a dry air, and thus evapor- 

 ation is greater, while the summer sun daily shines for a shorter time. 

 The winds blow mainly from a southerly direction and they blow more 

 constantly and move more rapidly than in the northern country, thus 

 drinking up the soil moisture with greater rapidity. 



Precipitation. 



"The results of these conditions is that the evaporation in the more 

 southern part of these regions is nearly twice what it is in the more 

 northern regions. It is therefore probable that 14 to 15 inches of annual 

 precipitation in the northern region and rn the higher valleys and plat- 

 eaus of the mountain region is as valuable for crop growth as 18 to 20 

 inches in the more southern, the lower and more level country. 



Climatic Effects. 



"The varying conditions above mentioned will undoubtedly in time 

 modify the kind of crops to be grown and the kind of soil management, 

 and perhaps of farm practice, necessary to get the maximum returns 

 in these various regions, and they must be considered in our plans and 

 recommendations if the largest success is to be obtained in the develop- 

 ment of dry land agriculture. 



Dry Land Area. 



"The amount of land that may be farmed without irrigation in this 

 western country is not easy to determine at the present time and sev- 

 tTal years of observation and of study will probably be needed to define 

 its limits. In Utah the estimate is ten to twenty million acres; in Colo 

 rado fifteen to twenty million; in Wyoming, about the same; in Idaho, 

 five to ten million and in Montana fifteen to twenty million acres, and 

 other western states about in proportion. There is need here for some 

 actual survey work. 



"Another interesting question as we look over the development of 

 dry land agriculture is, what will be its tendencies? Will the develop- 

 ment be along the line of establishing farm homes over the country 

 with the individual farmer the unit of work and management, or will 

 the tendency be toward the large farm where all modern economic forces 

 will be used on the farin? 



320 Acre Homestead. 



"As the country is now settling up, the farmer is taking up his home- 

 stead and preparing to establish himself on the land, and it is probable 

 that the 320-acre homestead on the bench lands will increase the desire 

 to stay on the farm as it will promise larger remuneration and heater 

 economy of management. This desire will also be helped by a more 

 thorough knowledge and comprehension of how to make the home on 

 these dry farmis attractive and home-like. The possibility of growing 



