Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1908-06-18
government to Study ShelteTbelts

Government to Study ShelteTbelts
washington, June lS.- Uncle Sans
tree planting and farm experts have
Standardization q practical and scienti-
I fic study OF the use and effect OF timber
] windbreaks and shelterbelts in the ag-
ricultural regions of fourteen western
{ states. This is the first time in this
country that q study of this much dis
.cussed question has boon undertaken
over q wide region under one plan, for
the purpose Of collecting data for; the
benefit Of the agriculturists who are
developing the western plains. AT
present wind braaks are planted haphaz
ard, one kind here, another there. If
one kind is better than another, 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. Ii will at least collect
such facts never before brought to-
gether.
The work will be done by the United
States Forest Service. In some states
the agricultural experiment stations
will cooperate in the studies, and
inthese cases the Forest Ser.
vice will provide the necessary ap.
paratus, and the other expenses will be
shared half and half by the government
and experiment stations. The investi
cations 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 stndy will be made this year
are Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma and
Kansas. The fifth will be either Min
nesota, North Dakota, South 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 we'll known.
Blowing strongly across the unobstruct.
ed plains, these winds may in a few
j. days blast all hope OF even a partial
harvest. This is particularly in the
lower portion of the central plains re-
gion, and in years of unusually 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
! nChinook' wind, which sweeps down
from the Canadian mountains. This
either dries out growing crops or, il it
prevails before the danger of killing
8frosts is past, causes loss through urg.-
ing vegetation forward prematurely
Cold winter 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 al
most to the Gulf.
But there are two sides to the wind
break question. Some prairie farmers
declare positively that belts Of Usage
orange, for instance, are a nuisance.
Others cite figures to show positive
benefit. Mr.. Morris Thompson, who
lives near Downs, Kansas, gives his
yield of corn from a field Of corn from
a field protected on the south by q row
Of tall cottonwoods as six bushels PEI
acre more than In places whore there is
no protection. About fifteen acres are
benefited in this way. tits highly i'm
probable that the wind break occupies
sufficient land to offset this benefit.
An Illinois farmer sums up his OBJ
servations upon this matter thus: "M.
experiences that now, in cold ant
stormy winters, wheat protected BY
timber belts yield full crops, Will,
fields not protected yield only one thirt
Of q crop. Twenty five or thirty year
ago we never had any wheat killed b.
winter frosts, and every year a full
crop Of peaches, which is now rare. "A
that time we had plenty of timbe
around our fields and orchards, nov
cleared away
The Forest Service proposes to flint
a