The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-09-12
CROPS IN DRY AREAS
Much Depends Upon Amount Of
Rainfall and the Season.
II Attempt Is Made TO Grow Grain
Every Year Plan VIII Undoubtsd-
Iy Fall Who're Fifteen lnohOs
Of Water 10 Maximum.
CBy PROF. THOMAS sHAw)

(By PROF. THOMAS SHAW)
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. Both have
an important bearing on the answer
to this question.
Where the precipitation 1s not
more than, say, 10 inches in q 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 10
made to grow crops every year. II
will undoubtedly fall, because il
inches of rainfall in q year will not
grow good crops Of grain every year
in an unbroken succession. In crop
ping with grain II will be found nee
essary at least occasionally to devote
one season to the conserving Of mois-
ture to make 1t 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
be 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
1t does not, hence the growing OF
grain crops every year becomes, In .
sense, sort of gamble. II there IN
enough Of rain 1t will be a success.
II there is not enough It will be q
failure. How shall this contingency
be metz The answer to that question
is the central thought in this article.
1t Is met in two ways. The frst 10
to summer-fallow the land one year
and to grow on 1t crop Of small
grain the next year. This method has
some advantages and some disad-
vantages. 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 Of the frequency Of the sum-
mer fallow. Among the latter are.
getting but one crop in two years,
the depletion Of the soil fertility. and
the absence of a rotation that will
keep the land In a mechanical bal
ance. But this method may answer
fairly we'll for many years. 1t will
not, however answer for all time, for
the time will eventually come when
the soil will be depleted of It's fertjl.
ity.
There Is. however, better method
than the above. 1t Is to adopt the fol-
lowing rotations: Summer fallow,
followed by a crop OF grain. The
grain Is followed by fodder corn or
by some crop that involves cultivation
while It is being grown. This IL fol-
lowed by a grain crop. and the grain
crop, in turn by summer fallow. This
means that three crops may be grown
In four years, one of which will b0
fodder corn. The great advantage
from growing fodder corn once in four
years over summer following twice in
four years Is that the fodder corn
furnishes food for live stock. 1t may
be asked why not make the fodder
corn take the place of the summer
fallow and cut out che summer fallow.
The answer is. first, that an occa-
sional summer fallow is necessary
where the conservation Of moisture IL
to be sufficiently maintained where
the rainfall Is less than 10 inches In
year II the rainfall is more than
15 inches, 1t would probably be pos
sible to eliminate the summer fallow
altogether.