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Widtsoe, John Andreas, 1872-1952

"Dry-Farming : a System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall"

The
living problem of the dry-farms in California is the restoration of
the fertility which has been removed from the soils by unwise
cropping. All other dry-farm districts should take to heart this
lesson, for, though crops may be produced on fertile soils for one,
two, or even three generations without manuring, yet the time will
come when plant-food must be added to the soil in return for that
which has been removed by the crops. Meanwhile, California offers,
also, an excellent example of the possibility of successful
dry-farming through long periods and under varying climatic
conditions. In the Golden State dry-farming is a fully established
practice; it has long since passed the experimental stage.
Columbia River Basin
The Columbia River Basin includes the state of Washington, most of
Oregon, the northern and central part of Idaho, western Montana, and
extends into British Columbia. It includes the section often called
the Inland Empire, which alone covers some one hundred and fifty
thousand square miles. The chief dry-farm crop of this region is
wheat; in fact, western Washington or the "Palouse country" is
famous for its wheat-producing powers.


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