Reading Text. Successful Farming Depends on the Soil.

1.Read and translate.

Successful farming means making the best and the most scientific use of natural conditions, land, crops, livestock, machinery and all the other things which have to be put together to make the farming system work. Important points to be taken into consideration are: the soil types of the district, annual rainfalls, maximum and minimum temperature. The various factors that make up soil fertility are: moisture conditions, plant food and soil structure. All these factors influence the quality of plant, what later results in yield. The important job for farmer is to get the land into good condition and to keep it that way. Such land is more easily cultivated, provides better conditions for germination of seed and for crop growth and in the end produces better crops. The only crops which supply part of their plant food needs are the legumes. By means of their roots they take the nitrogen they need from the air, and with it they feed not only themselves but other plants growing with and sometimes other crops grown in the following year. That’s why legumes are said to improve soil and manure, or form the fertilizers applied.

In order to understand the scientific growing of crops one must know the temperature requirements of plants as well, the optimum temperature for germination and growth varying with different kinds of plants. In fact crops vary in their climatic requirements. For example, winter wheat is grown in regions where the climate is cool with somewhat dry harvest period. A good winter wheat climate is not the same as that for corn. Corn is a summer crop, not being planted until after the soil has been well warmed up. Oats and barley do best in cool, moist climate, as well as potatoes. Their yield is better in cool regions. Cotton is highly important crop throughout the warmer parts of the world. It can withstand periods of drought and still produce satisfactory yields. Vegetables, because of their high adaptability, are grown over a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, soils of good physical properties being especially important. Such vegetables as tomatoes and cucumbers are often grown on a large scale under glass. To obtain a high yield of good quality crop it is necessary to choose the proper variety best adapted to the conditions of the soil of the region where it is to be grown.

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to take into consideration приймати до уваги

yield урожай

provide забезпечувати

germination проростання, розвиток

supply постачати

legumes бобові

nitrogen азот

manure гній

2.Answer the questions.

1.What does successful farming mean?

2.What are the important points of successful farming?

3.What are the factors that make up the soil fertility?

4.What does the cultivated soil provide?

5.Do the legumes improve the soil fertility?

6.What must we know before growing the plants?

7.What is necessary to do to obtain a high yield of good quality crop?

3.Retell the text.