The daily sentinel., 1908-06-17


+ the purpose of collecting data +
+ for the benefit of the agricul- +
4. turists who are developing the ;
+ western plains.
l. + - f. j. +
AT present windbreaks are planted
haph azard, one kind here, another
there. If one kind is better than an
other. the government experts think
that fact ought to be known, and it
is believed that the study about to be
undertaken will settle the question
once for ALL It will at least collsct
such facts never before brought TO-
gethcr.
The work will be done by the
United States Forest Service. In some
states the agricultural experiment
stations will cooperate in the stu
dies. and in these cases the Forest
Service will provide the necessary
apparatus. and the other expenses
will he shared half and half by the
government and experiment stations.
The investigations will be taken up
in five states this year and extended
20 the other nine as rapidly as the
Investigations are completed. Four
of the states in which the study will
be made this year are Nebraska,
Colorado. Oklahoma and Kansas. The
kota or Iowa. Ultimately the inves-
legations will c.ver Minnesota. North
Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas,
Oklahoma, Colorado. Texas, New
Mexico. Utah, California, Washington
and Idaho.
The sudden ruin that hot winds
sometimes bring to growing crops in
parts of the West are well known.
Blowing strongly across the unob-
structed plains, these winds may in
few days blast all hope of even
partial harvest. This is particularly
in the lower portion of the central
plains region, and in years of un-
usually low rainfall. Here the winds
most to be feared blow from the
southwest or south. In the northern
prairie region the former is exposed
to the hot "Chinook" wind. which
sweeps down from the Canadian
mountsins. This either dries out
growing crops or. if it prevails before
the danger of killing frosts is past
causes loss through urging vegeta-
ton forward prematurely. Cold win
ter winds also do great injury to
crops. make the climate more severe
for stock and men. and interfere with
an even covering of snow upon the
ground. This is true from Canada
dlHnOst W tle puh.
In Southern Canrornia, dry winds
from the north and northeas: sweep
down from the Mohave Desert with
destructive results. Coming in June.
these winds may reduce the wheat
yield of unprotected fields to almost
nothing. Windbreaks of eucalypts
and Monterey cypress. now in such
common use o protect orange groves
and orchards, long ago convinced
possessors of highly valuable irri-
gated land of the value of tree plant
ing for protection purposes.
But there are two sides to the
windbreak question. Some prairie
farmers declare positively that belts
of Usage orange, for instance. are
nuisance" Others cite figures to
show positive benefit. Mr.. Morris
Thompson. who lives near Downs,
Kansas. gives his yield of corn from
a field protected on the south by
row of tall cottonwoods as six bushels
per acre more than in places where
there is no protection. About fifteen
acres are benefited in this, way. 1t
is highly improbable that the wind
break occupies sufficient land to off
set this benefit.
An Illinois farmer sums up his OBJ
servations upon this matter thus
MY experience is that now. in cold
and stormy winters, wheat protected
by timberbelts yield full crops. while
fields not protected yield one-third
of crop. Twenty-Five or thirty
years ago we never had any wheat
killed by winter frosts, and every
year a full crop of peaches, which is
now rare. At that time we had
plenty of timber around our fields
and orchards, now cleared away"
The Forest Service proposes to
find out just when and how much |
wind-breaks increase the yield of
crops. To carry out the plans, much |
technical work will be necessary In
struments will be used to measure
heat and cold. moisture and dryness. |
both above and below ground; to
register the force of the wind near
the windbreaks and some distance |
away; to measure light intensity, and
take note of the effects of shade; to
,o.;etar frDct dffforant fcto