Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-07-31
UNCLE SANS WORK.
Government to Study shelterbelts for
Benefit Of Farming Interests.

tree planting and farm experts have
Just begun practical and scientific
study of the use and effect of timber
wind-breaks and shelter-belts in the
agricultural regions of fourteen west
ern states. This is the first time in
this country that study of this mucl
discussed question has been undertak.
en- over wide region, under one plan
for the purpose of collecting data for
the benefit Of the agriculturalists who
are developing the western plains. At
present wind-breaks are planted at
haphazard, one kind here, another one
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 1t will at least collect
such facts never before brought to-
|gether.
The work will be done busthe Unit
ed States Forest Service. In some
states the agricultural experiment sta
tons will cooperate in the studies,
and in these cases the Forest Service
will provide the necessary apparatus,
and the other expense will be shared
half and half by the government and
ton will be taken up in five states
this year and extended to 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, Oklaho-
ma and Kansas. The fifth will be
either Minnesota, North Dakota, O.
Iowa. Ultimately the investigations
will cover Minnesota, North and Sout
Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Ok
lahoma, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico
Utah, California, Washington and Ida
no.
The sudden ruin that hot winds will
sometimes bring to growing crops in
parts of the West is we'll known.
Blowing strongly across the unobstrut
ted plains, thesewinds may in few
days blast all hopes of even a par
tial harvest. This is particularly true
in the lower portions of the central
plains region, and in years of unusual
ly low rainfall. Here the winds most
to be feared blow from the southwest
or south. In the northern prairie re.
gion the former is exposed to the hot
Chinook" wind, which sweeps down
from the Canadian mountains. This
either dries out growing crops, or if
it prevails before the danger of KILN;
frosts is past, causes loss through urg
ing vegetation forward prematurely
The winter winds also do great injury
to crops, make the climate more Sc
we're for stock and man, and interfere
with an even covering of snow upon
the ground. This is true from Califor
mia almost to the Gulf.
In Southern California, dry winds
from the north and northeast 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. Wind-breaks of eucalypts
and Monterey cypress, now in such
common use to protect orange trees
and orchards, long ago convinced pos.
SCISSORS of highly cultivated irrigated
land Of the value of tree planting for
protection purposes.
But there are two sides to the wind
break question. Some prairie farm
ers declare positively that belts of tn
Usage orange, for instance, are a nui.
sance. Others cite figures to show
positive benefit. Mr.. Morris Thomp-
son, who lives near Downs, Kansas,
gives his yield Of corn from a field
protected on the south by row of
cottonwoods as six bushels per acre
more than in places where there is n,
protection. About fifteen acres are
benefited in this way. 1t is highly ir
probable that the wind-break occupies
sufficient land to offset this bene.
fit.
An Illinois farmer sums up his OBJ
servations on this matter thus: "My
experience is that now, in cold, storm
winters, wheat protected by timber
belts yields full crops, while fields no
protected yield only 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