Usually, the short season is largely gone
before the stem and leaf growth begins, and, consequently, a
somewhat dwarfed appearance is characteristic of dry-farm crops. The
size of sugar beets, potato tubers, and such underground parts
depends upon the available water and food supply when the plant has
established a satisfactory root and leaf system. If the water and
food are scarce, a thin beet results; if abundant, a well-filled
beet may result.
Dry-farming is characterized by a somewhat short season. Even if
good growing weather prevails, the decrease of water in the soil has
the effect of hastening maturity. The formation of flowers and seed
begins, therefore, earlier and is completed more quickly under arid
than under humid conditions. Moreover, and resulting probably from
the greater abundance of materials stored in the root system, the
proportion of heads to leaves and stems is highest in dry-farm
crops. In fact, it is a general law that the proportion of heads to
straw in grain crops increases as the water supply decreases. This
is shown very well even under humid or irrigation conditions when
different seasons or different applications of irrigation water are
compared.
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