The Raymer enterprise., 1910-09-29
CROPS ON DRY LAND
Drought. t.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 q recent address before the West
ern Kansas Farmers conference, at
Hays, Kan, Prof. A. M. Ten Eyck, Of
the Fort Hays branch experiment sta
ton, spoke on the subject Of Drought
Resistant Crops" In the course OF his
remarks he said:
Drought.resistant crops, or crops
which are adapted to "dry.land farm
Ing" may be divided into three quite
distinct groups, as follows:
l. Early.maturing crops. which grow
rapidly and ripen before the available
soil moisture Is used up, or before the
hot, dry weather begins; such as win
ter wheat and early spring grains.
3. Crops which root deeply and gath
or their moisture supply from a large
volume Of soil. such as alfalfa and GER
tain grasses.
8. Hardy, vtgorous-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 IN
favorable conditions during the period
Of growth. These last are true drought
Resistant crops, such as kanr corn.
sorghum. buffalo grass and other ma
tive grasses of the western plains.
The crops which belong to the class
last named, as a 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 large
part Of the water which enters the
soil. thus securing greater supply Of
water under certain conditions and al
lowing less waste by surface evapora-
ton than occurs with deeper.rooting
crop or with crops which make less
growth Of fbrous 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 we'll
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.
eign countries which have semi.arid
climate similar to the climate Of the
western plains. These crops have been
bred and grown for centuries. per.
haps. in the countries from which they
have been brought, and the character
Of being drousht.resistant has be-
come quality Of the plant, the same
as the character Of being hardy In
cold climate has become the nature
Of certain varieties Of fruit and Of
many crops.
Without doubt, therefore, certain
crops are more drought-resistan than
others. but successful "dry.land farm.
Ing" depends largely upon the charac.
ter Of the soil. the preparation Of the
seeded and the culture which the