Therefore, in
the system of dry-farming as developed in this volume, it must be
understood that so far as the farmer has power, the roots must be
driven downward into the soil, and that no injury needs to be
apprehended from deep and vigorous cultivation.
One of the chief attempts of the dry-farmer must be to see to it
that the plants root deeply. This can be done only by preparing the
right kind of seed-bed and by having the soil in its lower depths
well-stored with moisture, so that the plants may be invited to
descend. For that reason, an excess of moisture in the upper soil
when the young plants are rooting is really an injury to them.
CHAPTER VII
STORING WATER IN THE SOIL
The large amount of water required for the production of plant
substance is taken from the soil by the roots. Leaves and stems do
not absorb appreciable quantities of water. The scanty rainfall of
dry-farm districts or the more abundant precipitation of humid
regions must, therefore, be made to enter the soil in such a manner
as to be readily available as soil-moisture to the roots at the
right periods of plant growth.
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