The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1908-06-20
SCIENTIFIC WINDBRE AkS
N
IN the WEST
Government to Make Practical
Study for Benefit Of Farming
interests in Development Of the
Western Plains.

W aSntnRtOnt unt ~ "
Sans tree planting and iarm ~.
prttS have lust undertake. u prtc.
teal ard scientific study ot thu Us"
and effect OF timber windhr,aks AVID
| shcltrrhclts N the agricultural IT,.
gions OF fourteen western sta'cs
This is the first time IN this coun.
tt. that a study oi this much dis
cusscd question has been undertak.
cn over a wide region under one
plan, tor the purpose oi collecting
data Tor the benefit OF the agriCul'
%turistS who are developing the west.
crn plains. Vt present ~windhreaks
are planted hapha2ard, one kind
here. another there. II kind IS
better than another, the govern
ment experts think that tact ough,
to I've known. and 1t is believed that
the study about to be- undertaken
will settle the question once tor all.
II will at least collect such facts
never before brought together.
The work will I've done by the
! Initcd States Forest Service. In
some states the agricultural cNpcr.
imcnt stations will cooperate IN
the studies, and N these cases the
Forest Service will provide the
necessary apparatus, and thu other
rNprnses will b. shared halt and
halt bv the government and expert.
men, stations. The Investigations
will I've taken up in hvr states this
wear and extended TO the other nine
A. rapidly as the Investigations are
completed. Four OF the states IN
which the study will hc made this
wear are Nebraska, Colorado, OK.
lahoma and Kansas. The nth viii
hc either Minnesota, North Dokuta
or Iowa. Ultimately the inveSti.
cations will cover Minnesota, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,
Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Color.
ado, Texas, New Mexico, Utah,
California, Washington aud Idaho.
The sudden rum that hot winds
sometimes bring to growing crops
IN parts ot the West are well known.
3 Blowing strongly across the un'
INSTRUCTED plains, these winds may
IN a iew DAYS blast all hope Ut even
a partial harvest. TINS - partic'
, ularlv in the lower portion OF th,
central plains region, and N wears
ot unusually low rainfall. Here
i tn, Winds most To ho feared blow
+. from the southwest OF south. II
u the northern prairie region the Tor
mor is exposed To th, hot Chinook
wind, which sweeps down from the
Canadian mountains. This cithcJ
u dries out growing crops OF, II /
= prevails before The danger OF kill
ing iroSts is past, causes loss thro
4 ugh urging vegetation forward pie
maturcly. Cold winter winds aISt
do great injury 10 crops, make IN,
/" climate more sever tor stock AM
q men, and interfere with an ever
IN covering OF snow upon the ground
D This - true from Canada almost I,
: the guilt,
~, In Southern California. DRY wind
from thu north and northeast Nwee
down from the Mohavc Desert wit
dcstructiv, results. Coming I
', une, these winds NAV reduce tn
wheat Weld OF unprotected fields I
almost nothing. Wlndhreaks
- -ucalypts and Monterey cypress
now in such common use 10 pretc'
orange groves and orchards, lon
! ago convinced ~posSeSsors OF nigh
u, valuable irrigated lanG OF the valu
n. OF tree planting Tor protection pu
IN poses.
,h But there are two sides TO III
" wind break question. Some prair
IN farmers declare positively that bel
OF Usage orange, tor instance, Al
4 "nuisancr. Others cite tigui,
y 10 show positive bencht. NJ
81 Morris Thompson, who lives ne
- Downs, Kansas, gives his yield
corn from a field protected on Il
MI south hy arrow OF tall COTTONWOOD,
as SIX bushels per acre more tina
IN places where there ~ no prrt"'
II, ton. About fifteen acres are ben
.or fitted in this way. 1t is highly m
pa probable that the wlnd-hr' ak o
,'SS cupies sufficient land to offset III
IRE benefit.
AZ An Illinois farmer sums up h
on observations upon this matter thu
My experience is that now,
IN cold aud stormy winters, whe
protected lbs timber belts WELD ~
ter crops, while helds not protect,
weld only onc.third OF a Gro
Twenty-Five or thirty wears ago
'"' never had any wheat killed hN wi
ter lrosrs, and every year a IT
{ crop OF peaches, which is o raj
10 NJ that time We had plenty OF iii
TOT her around our fields and orchard
ri. now cleared away.
AXE The Forest Service proposes
ind out ust when aud how mu,
wlnd.brcaks increase the yield
md crops. 10 carry out the plan
much technical work will he niece
sary. instruments will be used