The Raymer enterprise., 1913-09-11
CROPS IN DRY AREAS
Much Depends Upon Amount Of
Rainfall and the Season.
" Attempt Is Made to Grow Grain
Every Year Plan viii Undoubted.
ly Fail Where Fifteen Inches
: Of Water Is Maximum.
By PROF. THOMAS SHAWL

ne duSWeT 10 lHc qucSklOu dS "
how frequently crops may be grown
In dry areas. depends upon two things.
The first is the amount Of precipita-
tion that falls and the second is the
season at which It falls. Both have
an important bearing on the answer
to this questions
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. 1t
will undoubtedly fail. because Is
inches Of rainfall ir 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 10 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 Is 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
It does not, hence the growing OF
grain crops every year becomes. In q
sense, a sort OF gamble. II there Is
enough OF rain It will be success.
II there Is not enough II will be a
failure. How shall this contingency
be met? The answer to that question
Is the central thought In this article.
1t Is met In two ways. The first Is
to summeria iallow the land one year
and TO grow on It crop OF small
grain the next year. This method has
some advantages and some dlsad-
yantages. Among the former are the
certainty OF 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 Tethod may answer
fairly well for many years. 1t VIII
not. however, answer for all time, for
the time will eventually come when
the soil will be depleted OF its fertil
ity
There 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 II Is being grown. This is fol.
lowed by n 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 be
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 II may
be asked why not make the fodder
corn take the place Of the summer
fallow and cut out the summer fallow.
The answer Is, first. that an occa.
sional summer fallow Is necessary
where the conservation Of moisture Is
to be sufficiently maintained where
the rainfall Is less than Is inches In
a year, II the rainfall Is more than
10 inches. It would probably be pos.
sible to eliminate the summer fallow
altogether In humid areas II is not
necessary TO have the summer fallow
to retain moisture. II It is main.
tanned at all II Is as n means to aid
In the effectual destruction OF weeds.
But the four.year rotation is not in
itself sufficient 10 meet every exigen.
cy. II is marked improvement over
the two-year rotation. but II does not
provide for the maintenance OF fer.
tility in the land. nor does 1t provide
for supplying the land with humus,
which il so much needs In dry
county How can this be accom-.
plished? 1t can only be accomplished
by laying the land down to grass oc
casionally, or its equivalent That
equivalent. In dry areas. can be bes,
accomplished by laying the land down
10 alfalfa for limited term OF years
This will mean that the rotation will
be as follows: Summer fnllow, grain,
cultivated crop, grain, alfalfa for q
few years and grain again. followed
by the rotation mentioned above,
This probably viii be the rotation
most commonly followed In dry areas
In the years that are at hand.