Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low RainfallWidtsoe, John Andreas
Science
Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall
Widtsoe, John Andreas
Dry farming
_"Arizona Type.--_The Arizona Type, so called because it is more
fully developed in that territory than elsewhere, prevails over
Arizona, New Mexico, and a small portion of eastern Utah and Nevada.
This type differs from all others in the fact that about 35 per cent
of the rain falls in July and August. May and June are generally the
months of least rainfall."
_"The Northern Rocky Mountain and Eastern Foothills Type.--_This
type is closely allied to that of the plains to the eastward, and
the bulk of the rain falls in the foothills of the region in April
and May; in Montana, in May and June."
_"The Plains Type.--_This type embraces the greater part of the
Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas; Oklahoma, the Panhandle of Texas, and all
the great corn and wheat states of the interior valleys. This region
is characterized by a scant winter precipitation over the northern
states and moderately heavy rains during the growing season. The.
bulk of the rains comes in May, June, and July."
This classification emphasizes the great variation in distribution
of rainfall over the dry-farm territory of the country. West of the
Rocky Mountains the precipitation comes chiefly in winter and
spring, leaving the summers rainless; while east of the Rockies, the
winters are somewhat rainless and the precipitation comes chiefly in
spring and summer. The Arizona type stands midway between these
types. This variation in the distribution of the rainfall requires
that different methods be employed in storing and conserving the
rainfall for crop production. The adaptation of cultural methods to
the seasonal distribution of rainfall will be discussed hereafter.
Snowfall
Closely related to the distribution of the rainfall and the average
annual temperature is the snowfall. Wherever a relatively large
winter precipitation occurs, the dry-farmer is benefited if it comes
in the form of snow. The fall-planted seeds are better protected by
the snow; the evaporation is lower and it appears that the soil is
improved by the annual covering of snow. In any case, the methods of
culture are in a measure dependent upon the amount of snowfall and
the length of time that it lies upon the ground.
Snow falls over most of the dry-farm territory, excepting the
lowlands of California, the immediate Pacific coast, and other
districts where the average annual temperature is high. The heaviest
snowfall is in the intermountain district, from the west slope of
the Sierra Nevadas to the east slope of the Rockies. The degree of
snowfall on the agricultural lands is very variable and dependent
upon local conditions. Snow falls upon all the high mountain ranges.
Temperature
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