The Raymer enterprise., 1914-01-01
SEEDS ON DRY fkee /,
Producer Must Understand Il
Business to Succeed.
" Person Is Going to Cater to Gus.
toners in Semi-Arid Sections He
Must Pay Strict Attention to
Desired Varieties.
tRy DIR. F. S. HARRIsO

tby tpft- r. .. hAhRlS-)
All practices in dry-farming focus
around the one idea Of saving the
moisture. This is done in two gen.
eral ways. First, by preventing loss
as near as possible and, second, by
using the limited supply which is
present as economically as possible.
In regions Of small rainfall all the
various factors entering into the pro-
duction of crops must be as favora.
BILE as possible If profitable yields
are to be obtained. Dry-farm crops
are growing under the stress caused
by q lack of water, and If other
things in their environment are not
favorable. is difficult for them to ma
ture properly, By supplying their
needs in other respects they can in
part overcome the handicap caused
by the scarcity of water.
Only certain kinds of crops can
withstand the whitening hand Of
drouth. Some are by their very ma.
ture suited to grow in humid eli.
mates, and they could not Withstand
the dry conditions encountered In
arid regions for a single day. Their
leaf area and structure are such that
all the moisture would very soon be
lost from the plant itself. Other
plants are SO arranged that they can
retain much of their water even under
very dry conditions. Their amount Of
evaporating surface is small in pro.
portion to root area. Thus the leaves
can be supplied with water as fast
as It is lost and the plant itself lie
not in danger of being withered. The
water lily is at one extreme and the
cactus at the other. All the cult,
waited plants lie between. Some OF
the crop plants are decided In their
| preference for wet environment
while others can endure drouth With
ease. Most Of them are intermediate
in their needs.
Some of the cereals, like wheat and
barley, produce well even when
water supply Is not all that
desired. On the other hai
redtop, alsike clover and a number |.
similar crops do not do well If kept
too dry. For the hotter arid regions
the various sorghums have been found
to be good crops. In cooler climates
| potatoes and peas often do well. AL
falfa is sometimes good crop
especially in the production of seed
Taken for most climates, however
wheat is king of all the dry-farm
crops. There are number Of vari
| eties of this crop which are gooe
drouth resisters.
After deciding what crops to raise
on the dry-farm the next question Ii
| to get varieties which are suitable fol
arid conditions. 1t is here that the
seed producer must understand his
business II he is to be successful. Or
the dry farm it is not enough thai
seed wheat be free from weeds ant
disease but it must also be of tn,
varieties which are capable Of thriv
ing in dry weather, If the seed is be
Ing raised under arid conditions ant
sold for planting under wet condi
tions the variety is not so importani
except In SO far as II affects the orig
inal yield. On the other hand, II {
person is going to cater to customer.
with dry farms he must pay strict at
tention to varieties If he desires L
build up reputation for wheat. o.
the winter wheats, Turkey red has
given almost universal satisfaction. 1
has some bad features. but these are
more than compensated for by IT.
many desirable qualities, OF course
the best varieties must be determined
for each set of conditions.