The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-09-29
CR0I S ON DRY LAND
Drought ReSistant Plants May
Be Divided Into Three
Groups.
They Are Able to Stop Growing Dur
ing Unfavorabie Weather and
With Bad Soil Conditions
Renew Growth When
Rain Falls.

may hhu.s lOls ~ W. ION ify'ht VI
the Fort Hays branch experiment sta
tion, spoke on the subject of Drought
Resistant Crops" In the course of his
remarks he said:
Droughtresistant crops, or crops
which are adapted to "dry-land farm
Ing may be divided into three quite
distinct groups, as follows:
i. 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
2. Crops which root deeply and gath
er 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 I'M
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 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-
hon than occurs with a deeper-rooting
crop or with crops which make q less
growth of fibrous 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.
.age 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. II seems to be a charac-
teristic which has been bred into the
plant by continual exposure to the
conditions under which II 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 a seml-arid
climate similar to the climate of the
western plains. Thtse crops have been
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-
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-reslstant than
others, but successful "dry-land farm
ing" depends largely upon the charac-
ter of the soil, the preparation of the
seedbed and the culture which the
crop receives. The only soils which
may be made to produce crops with
out irrigation in the semi-arid regions
are soils which have great moisture.
holding capacity. II takes water to
produce drought-resistant crops as well
as to produce crops grown under ordi-
nary circumstances, and thin soil
underlaid by gravelly or coarse,
sandy subsoil will produce. IL at all.
only when water Is supplied in suffi-
Client quantity during the period of
crop growth, while soil which retains
moisture well may produce crops even
without much rainfall during the
growing season. Prof, II. B. Linfield
of the Montana experiment station
says on this subject; 81 have seen
paying crop grown without irrigation
on land ranging from a clayey loan TO |
almost sandy. when the subsoil was
not porous
In the growth of plants water is
needed in the soil for the following
reasons:
l. To dissolve the plant food
2. To carry the food to the plants
and through the plants.
8, 1t is food In itself to the plants
4, A certain amount OF water in the
soil is necessary to give the proper
texture favorable for the growth OF
the plant roots.
s. Water also acts as & regulator OF
The temperature Of the soil, tending
o raise the temperature Of cold soil
'y reason of warm rains and. by evan.
'ration, to keep down the temperature
If the soil during the hot summer
weather.
6. The bacteria In the soil which as
list in decay and in chemical changes
~ which the plant-food in the soil IS
nade available to the plant, thrive and
multiply In the soil only with a favor.
bic condition OF soil. moisture, heat