The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1910-09-24
CR0FS ONDRY LAND
Drought Resistant Plants May
Be Divided Into Three
Groups. ....
They Are Able to Stop Growing Dur
ing Unfavorable Weather and
With Bad Soil Conditions
Renew Growth When
Rain Falls.

In a recent address before the Yves
ern Kansas Farmers conference,
Hays, KAN Prof. A. M. Ten Eyck,
the Fort Hays branch experiment st;
ton, spoke on the subject of "Drough
Resistant Crops" In the course of hi
remarks he said:
Drought-resistant crops, or crop
which are adapted to "dry-land farm
ing" may be divided into three quit
distinct groups, as follows:
1. Early-maturing crops, which grow
rapidly and ripen before the available
soil moisture is used up, or before thu
hot, dry weather begins; such as win
ter wheat and early spring grains.
2. Crops which root deeply and gath
or their moisture supply from large
volume of soil, such as alfalfa and Ger
tain grasses.
3. Hardy. vigorous-growing crops
which are able to cease growth when
the soil becomes too dry or conditions
become too unfavorable. and remain
In dormant state until the rain
comes, when they make quick use OF
the favorable conditions, growing rap
Idly, simply reaching maturity little
later than would have been the case
II they had been subject to no un-
favorable conditions during the period
Of growth. These last are true drought
resistant crops, such as kaflr corn,
sorghum, buffalo grass and other ma
tive grasses of the western plains
The crops which belong to the class
last named, as rule, do not root
deeply, but the plants develop an
abundant and extensive growth of
roots in the surface soil, which en-
ables them to take advantage of light
rains and to quickly absorb a large
part of the water which enters the
soil, thus securing a greater supply of
water under certain conditions and al
lowing less waste by surface evapora-
ton than occurs with a deeper-rooting
crop or with crops which make a less
growth Of flbrOus roots in the surface
soil. 1t appears also that certain Of
these crops actually require less wa
ter to produce growth than some other |
crops which are not considered espe-
cially drought-resistant.
Aside from the character which |
such crops possess of taking advan-
tage of the conditions under which
they grow, these drought-resistant
crops are different in some ways
from ordinary crops in the quality
named above, in that they are able to
stop growing during unfavorable
weather and with unfavorable soil
conditions, renewing their growth
again when conditions become better.
This character In plant Is not well
understood. 1t seems to be charac-
teristic which has been bred into the
plant by continual exposure to the
conditions under which it is able to
grow. We find that most of. the crops
adapted for growing on the western
plains have been imported from for I
eign countries which have a semi-arid |
climate similar to the climate of the &
western plains. Thase crops have been s
bred and grown for centuries, per- '
haps, in the countries from which they (
have been brought, and the character
of being drought-resistant has be- t
come a quality of the plant, the same 4
rs the character Of being hardy in S
cold climate has become the nature +
II certain varieties of fruit and Of Il
many crops. b
Without doubt therefore, certain b
:rops are more drought-resistant than t
others, but successful "dry-land farm C
ng" depends largely upon the charac- v
er of the soil, the preparation of the s
'eedbed and the culture which the u
srop receives. The only soils which "
nay be made to produce crops with a
out irrigation In the semi-arid regions n
ire soils which have great moisture
holding capacity. 1t takes water to
produce drought-resistant crops as we'll
ls to produce crops grown under ordi- v
larry circumstances, and thin soil a
lnderlaid by gravelly or coarse a
'andy subsoil will produce, II at all. ii
'niy when water is supplied In suffi- Il
'ient quantity during the period of b
'rop growth, while soil which retains g
moisture we'll may produce crops even e
without much rainfall during the fl
growing season. Prof. H. B. Linfie1d C;
u the Montana experiment station iG
ays on this subject: 81 have seen = II
laying crop grown without irrigation 81
N land ranging from clayev loan to N
!lmost sandy, when the subsoiI was Ia
lot porous" m
In the growth Of plants water ia lc
leeded in the soil for the following al
easons: 2,
|. To dissolve the plant food.
2. To carry the food to the plants
nd through the plants.
8. It is food In itself to the n1ants h
4. A certain amount of water In the n.
oil is necessary to give the pronar h.
exture favorable for the growth of ci
he plant roots. nj
5. Water also acts as a regulator oY #
be temperature of the soil tending ~
0 raise the temperature of cold soil ar
y reason of warm rains and by evan.
ration, to keep down the temperature
I the soil during the hot summer
yeather.
6. The bacteria In the soil which as co
LIST In decay and in chemical changes
y which the plant-food in the soil is on
lade available to the plant, thrive and
multiply in the soil only with favor 20
BILE condition Of soil. moisture, heat
nd air :,
Spreading Manure. 20
There Is difference Of opinion as