Dry-Farming

As the rainfall varies, the methods of dry-farming must be varied accordingly. Rainfall, alon

n the average, so correctly dry-farming possibilities as does the annual rainfall. Experience has already demonstrated that wherever the annual precipitation is above 15 inches, there is no need of crop failures, if the soils are suitable and the methods of dry-farming are correctly employed. With an annual precipitation of 10 to

iarid, an

e methods of dry-farming it may be well to define somewhat more clearly the terms o

tates. For commercial purposes no state wants to be classed as arid and to suffer under the handica

20 inches, semiarid; those receiving between 20 and 30 inches, sub-humid, and those receiving over 30 inches, humid. It is admitted that even such a classification is arbitrary, since aridity does not alone depend upon the rainfall, and even under such a classification there is an unavoidable overlapping. However, no one f

over the dry

p receiving between 20 and 30 inches is added, the whole area directly subject to reclamation by irrigati

e areas of these, as given by the Census of 1900, grouped acc

Semi-a

Land Surfac

na 11

rnia 1

ado 1

o 84

da 1

h 8

ing

L 74

to Sub-Hu

na 14

ska 7

xico 1

Dakota

on 9

Dakota

ngton

L 65

d to Hum

as 8

sota

oma 3

s 26

L 46

OTAL 1,

61,652 square miles, or 1,191,457,280 acres. If any excuse were needed for the lively interest taken in the subject of dry-farming, it is amply furnished by these figures showing the vast extent

nited States, about 22 per cent, or a little more than one fifth, is sub-humid and receives between 20 and 30 inches of rainfall, annually; 61 per cent, or a little more than three fif

ta from them. It is strongly probable that as more stations are established, it will be found that the area receiving less than 10 inches of rainfall annually is considerably smaller than above estimated. In fact, the United States Reclamation Service states that there are only 70,00

gation only by the development of more suitable. methods than are known to-day. The semiarid area, which is the special consideration of present-day dry-farming represents an area of over 725,000,000 acres of land. Moreover, it must be remarked that the full certainty of crops in the sub

of most fertile soil, under a good supply of rainfall. The foothills of the mountains are almost invariably excellent dry-farm lands. Newell estimates that 195,000,000 acres of land in the arid to sub-humid sections are covered with a more or less dense growth of timber. This timbered area roughly represents the mountainous and therefore the nonarable portions of land. The same authority estimates that the desert-like lands cover an a

area of

ace receives above 20 inches of rainfall annually; one third receives from 10 to 20 inches, and one third receives less than lO inches. That is, about 1,267,000,000 acres in Australia are subject to reclamation by dry-farming methods. This

on Proportion of E

inches 25

20 inches 3

40 inches 2

60 inches 1

80 inches 9

120 inches

160 inches

inches 0

100 pe

cent more receives from 20 to 30 inches under conditions that make dry-farming methods necessary. A total of about 65 per cent of the earth's land surface is, therefore, directly interested in dry-farming