Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-07-27
DRY FARMING METHOD.
In Arid Section Important Factor
is Precipitation.

The important weather factors that
affect crop production as have been
told in all our biographies from time
immcmorial. but will still bear re
peating, are light, heat and moisture,
To these might be added the fourth
term, evaporation.
In dry farming section the most
important factor is precipitation.
writes A. II. Thirsen in the Deseret
Farmer Temperature and precipita
ton we cannot control, but we can
regulate to a great extent the evap-
Grafton factor. and in order to do his
we must study the process in nature
which retard or facilitate it,
1t has been found in Utah, by ex-
pcriments carried on by Widstoe and
Merrill, that l,048 pounds OF water is
rcuired to produce one pound OF
wheat If II inches of rain fell on an
acre of land during the year, the ac
tual weight would be 2,742, 500 ,ornt ;
of water II that acre produced a
yield oil 80 buchels or 1880 pounds OF
wheat. one can readily calculate that
there would be only | $3.50 pounds OF
water to every pound of dry matter.
But we must still further consider
what becomes OF he -aunfall III order
to estimate what portion of il is avail
able for the plant.
As the rain falls upon the ground Il
large portion OF it runs off. another
portion soaks into the ground, and
disappears by various processes. and
still another portion which merely
soaks into the top layer is -vi, 'ltcI
Immediately. All water is eventually
evaporated and mingles with the air,
and under proper conditions is again
precipitated.
I'm Utah the accepted method is to
pillow deeply in the fall. cultivate thor
oughly, SOW in the fall. and summer
iallow every other year Da:ir,{ 'he
summer following period clean cult
walton should be practlced in order to
prevent moisture being used up by
weeds and by evaporation.
The moisture that soaks deep into
the ground and that becomes available
for the plant should be properly con
served. This is accomplished by thor
ough cultivation. Moisture moves up
ward in the soil just as water move
up in a capillary tube. or between
two plates of glass very close togeth
cr rhe closer together the particles
Of earth the more rapid will be this
capillary action, and to stop or les
sen it the top soil should be broken
up by tillage.
There are three weather factors
which have great deal To do with
evaporation namely temperature, hu
Nudity and wind velocity
The higher the temperature the
greater will be the evaporation. and
the higher the humidity the less will
be the evaporation. All have oh
served how quickly things are dried
on a hot. dry day: and if there hap
pens to be heavy wind then the dry
ing process is still further increased
because as the water evaporates from
a moist article II exists as water va
por III the space surrounding the ar
ticle. and as the process Is continued
the space approaches satrration and
evaporation becomes slower. But if
a wind comes up and carries away
the water vapor evaporation can then
continue. The greater the velocity Of
the wind. then the greater the evapo
ration.
The snowfall is important n wo
ways, First. that the seed is protect
ed when fall sowing is followed. and
second. that the ground seems to BE-
benefited The drill burrows catch
the snow and hold it. thus affordinc
the seed the desired protection.