The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1913-10-18
CROPS IN DRY AREAS
Much Depends Upon Amount Of
Rainfall and the Season.
N Attempt Is Made to Grow Grain
Every Year Plan viii undoubted-
iy Fail Where Fifteen Inches
Of Water 10 Maximum.

The answer to the question as to
how frequently crops may be grown
In dry areas, depends upon two things.
The first is the amount OF precipita
| ton that falls and the second is the
season at which it falls Boz have
an important bearing on the answer
to this question
Where the precipitation is not
more than. say. Is inches In a year,
as for instance in Montana, the fire,
quency with which crops may be
grown will depend upon the character
| OF the farming. II the attempt is
made to grow crops every year. it
will undoubtedly fail. because Is
! inches OF rainfall in year will not
grow good crops Of grain every year
In an unbr0ken succession. In crop
ping with grain It will be found nee.
essary at least occasionally to devote
one season to the conserving OF mois.
ture to make ii possible to grow good
crops In the year or years that fol.
low.
This assumption implies that where
the rainfall is IL inches and probably
less than that, good crops OF grain
cannot be looked for every year with
that amount OF rainfall, and for the
reason that good crops OF grain cannot
De grown every year on the same
land, unless the rain should fall at
Just the right time to meet the needs
OF the crops. This does follow In
some Instances, but In some instances
IL does not. hence the growing OF
grain crops every year becomes. in a
sense, sort OF gamble. II there Is
enough of rain 1t will be a success
II there Is not enough It will be
failure. How shall this contingency
be met? The answer to that question
Is the central thought in this article.
II Is met In two ways. The first is
to summerfallow the land one year
and to grow on 1t crop OF small
grain the next year. This method has
some advantages and some disad.
yantages. Among the former are the
certainty of a good crop on the land.
even though the year should be dry,
and the proper cleaning OF the land
because or the frequency OF the sum.
nler fallow. Among the latter are
getting but one crop In two wears.
the depletion Of the soil fertility, and
the absence of rotation that will
Keep the land in mechanical bal.
ance. But this method may answer
FAIRLY well for many years. 1t win
not, however answer for all time for
the time will eventually come when
the soil will be depleted OF its fertil
ity
ihere Is, however, better method
than the above. II Is to adopt the fol
lowing rotations Summer fallow
followed by crop OF grain. The
grain Is followed by fodder corn or
by some crop that involves cultivation
while 1t Is being grown. This is fol
lowed by a grain crop, and the grain
crop. IN turn, by summer fallow. This
means that three crops may be grown
N -FOUR years, one of which will be
fodder corn. The great ADVANTAGE
rom growing fodder corn once in four
Years over summer following twice in
'our years is that the fodder corn
furnishes food for live stock. 1t NAV
De asked why not make the fodder |
'orn take the place of the summer, !
ALLOW and cut out the summer fal!ow |
The answer Is, first, that an occ,. !
'ional summer fallow Is necessary
where the conservation of moisture 10
o be sufficiently maintained where
he rainfall Is less than Is inches in
year II the rainfall Is more than
. inches, it. would probably be nos.
ible to eliminate the summer falIoN
'uogether. In humid areas Il is not
necessary to have the summer fa)low
o retain moisture. If it is main.
aimed at all 1t Is as a means to aid
n the effectual destruction of weeds
But the four-year rotation Ia NOT In
tseif suffic!ent to meet every exisen.
" II Is marked improvement over
he two-year rotation. but Il does not
rovide for the maintenance of fer.
liity IN the land. nor does II provide
or supplying the land with humus
Which II so much needs In drv
ountry. How can this be accom-.
lished? II can only be ACCOMPLISHED
Y laying the land down to grass oc.
asionally, or its equivalent. THAT
quiyalent, in dry areas. can be best
ccomplished by laying the land down
alfalfa for limited term of years
his VIII mean that the rotation vii,
AS follows: Summer fallow. grain.
cultivated crop grain. alfalfa for a
ew years and grain again. followed
y the rotation mentioned above
his probably will be the rotation
lost commonly followed in dry areas
the yaara thaf aro - 49, |