Dry Farming

Book Excerpt: ared probable therefore, that in aridcountries the amount of water required for the production of onepound of dry matter would be higher than in the humid regions ofGermany and Wisconsin. To secure information on this subject,Widtsoe and Merrill undertook, in 1900, a series of experiments inUtah, which were conducted upon the plan of the earlierexperimenters. An average statement of the results of six years'experimentation is given in the subjoined table, showing the...
More Description

Book Excerpt: ared probable therefore, that in aridcountries the amount of water required for the production of onepound of dry matter would be higher than in the humid regions ofGermany and Wisconsin. To secure information on this subject,Widtsoe and Merrill undertook, in 1900, a series of experiments inUtah, which were conducted upon the plan of the earlierexperimenters. An average statement of the results of six years'experimentation is given in the subjoined table, showing the numberof pounds of water required for one pound of dry matter on fertilesoils:--Wheat 1048Corn 589Peas 1118Sugar Beets 630These Utah findings support strongly the doctrine that the amount ofwater required for the production of each pound of dry matter isvery much larger under arid conditions, as in Utah, than under humidconditions, as in Germany or Wisconsin. It must be observed,however, that in all of these experiments the plants were suppliedwith water in a somewhat wasteful manner; that is, theyRead More