The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-10-06
ARID-LAND FARMING
Much Ground Cultivated Where
Rainfall Is Deficient.
Some of the More Important Facts
Bearing Upon Subject as Brought
Out By U. S. Department Of
Agriculture.

CBy W Il BEAI- Ofice % Experiment
Statiunl
The Importance Of extending the
productive area Of farm lands in the
United States has been especially en-
phasized In recent years. with the
result that much land hitherto oonsid-
cred uusuited TO farming has been
brought under cultivation. In this
class are the large areas in the west
ern half OF the United States, where
the rainfall Is deficient. II was evil
dent that II these lands were TO be
proftably utilized for agricultural pur-
poses other than grazing. new meth
DDS Of farming must be adopted. With
this object In view this department
and several Of the experiment sta
tions situated in arid or semi-arid re-
gions have carefully studied the agri-
. cultural conditions and possibilities
/ OF these regions and made extensive
tests Of the crops and methods OF cul-
/ ture adapted TO them. These investi-
cations. as well as the practical ex-
z perience OF settlers on dry lands, have
now gone far enough 10 make 1t pos
ciples and TO indicate certain meth
DDS which must be observed in order
10 guard against failure In dry farm
ing The following is summary OF
some OF the more important facts
bearing upon this subject as brought
out by recent reports Of this work
by the department and the expert
ment stations:
Dry farming is also called dry-land
farming OF arid-land farming. Ii is
generally defined as farming without
irrigation in regions where the annual
rainfall is between eight and twenty
inches. The fact that rainfall alone
is not the only moisture condition
which determines the crop production
OF a given locality is indicated by the
Investigations of the Office OF forage
crop Investigations Of the bureau Of
plant industry Of the department,
which states that for the production
OF such drought-resistant crops as
alfalfa. slender-wheat grass. tall-oat
grass and bronze grass the 'investiga-
tions indicate that the minimum rain
fall is approximately 16 inches in the
Dakotas, IS inches in Nebraska, 20
inches in Kansas and up TO
30 inches farther south" In other
words. to produce a given crop the
amount of rainfall necessary is much
greater in the warmer regions, where
evaporation removes so much mois-
ture.
Dry farming is made possible in
two ways: C) BY careful tillsge, and
~ by the introduction Of drought
resistant crops or drough-resistant va
rieties. Even where dry farming is
followed, irrigation is usually recon-
mended for the small areas to be de-
voted to garden crops to carry the
household through years Of crop
failure, which are more frequent in
these semiarid regions than in re-
gions where the rainfall Is greater.
The principles Of tillage are almost
exactly the same as for other regions,
or even for the semi-arid regions
where irrigation is practised. with
emphasis laid upon the conservation
of moisture: (1) Because the supply
is low, and (2) because one and one
half times as much water is required
to produce a pound Of dry matter In
the plant in these drier regions as is
required In more humid climates.
Surface cultivation is constantly re-
sorted TO in order to maintain mulch
or lid TO prevent the escape OF mois-
ture and TO keep down weeds, which
drain the land OF its water This
mulch is renewed as soon as possible
after each rain, but should not be
made sufficiently fine TO allow the
wind TO blow the soil from place 10
place. This is especially to be guard
ed against on sandy soil, which should
be worked sooner after rain has de-
stroyed the mulch than the clay soil,
which is more inclined 10 puddle, bake
or otherwise get out OF good physical
condition. The third advantage aris.
ing from frequent surface cultivation
is the admission OF air TO the roots
OF the crops supplying them with OK.
ygen. This air also encourages the
growth Of the friendly bacteria which
prepare plant food by breaking down
humus and forming the nitrates which
can be readily taken up by the roots