Dry Farming A System Of Agriculture For Countries Under A Low Rainfall

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John Andreas Widtsoe demonstrates an immense knowledge of soil and farming conditions; much of the advice in this classic manual remains useful and relevant to this day. An excellent collection of knowledge is united in this guidebook, which commences by setting out the concept and core principles of dry farming. Much of the Earth is covered by land which receives only modest rainfall each year; coupled with a lack of an underground water source and/or water rights, many landowners found themselves having to grow crops with dry farming methods. Widtsoe was one such farmer, and his knowledge of the land's properties would prove decisive in his success. The properties and composition of the soil are crucial in deciding what crops to grow, making maximum use of limited water resources in an unirrigated plot by encouraging the soil's water retention, and sowing seeds with methods to maximize germination are all important aspects of running a dry farm. Together with practical chapters on these and other subjects, Widtsoe keenly explains the history and evolution of dry farming techniques. Agricultural sustainability also features; combating unpredictable conditions, and the potentially devastating effects of drought (which Widtsoe renders in the literary form of 'Drouth') are also a prominent part of this book's explanations. Overall, this text maintains a relevance even in the face of enormous technological advancements in agriculture. Much of Widtsoe's knowledge is timeless, and his lucid explanations of the building blocks of farming stand as a good primer to new small-scale farmers, or amateur enthusiasts of agriculture.

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Excerpt from Dry-Farming a System of Agriculture for Countries Under a Low Rainfall The possibilities of dry-farming are stupendous. In the strength of youth we may have felt envi ous of the great ones of old; of Columbus looking upon the shadow of the greatest continent; of Balboa shouting greetings to the resting Pacific; of Father Escalante, pondering upon the mystery of the world, alone, near the shores of America's Dead Sea. We need harbor no such envyings, for in the conquest of the nonirrigated and nonirriga ble desert are offered as fine opportunities as the world has known to the makers and shakers of empires. We stand before an undiscovered land; through the restless, ascending currents of heated desert air the vision comes and goes. With striv ing eyes the desert is seen covered with blossoming fields, with churches and homes and schools, and, in the distance, with the vision is heard the laughter of happy children. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.