The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-06-14
SATURDAY. JUNE IA. 1913.
TREES N DRY n

The winds of the past few days
have been trying-and drying. Warm
air from the south, travelling at high
velocity. has sucked the moisture out
of everything that contained it. and
where grain was not we'll rooted there
has been some damage done. The act
ual damage has been slight, but such
wind always suggest unpleasant pos
sibilities. and also possible means Of
protection. The statement that the
wind bloweth where it listeth is true
in general. for any influence that
man can exert in the few feet above
the earth's surface where he can OPP
crate must always be small n inef-
fective in relation to the great at
mospheric movement which have
on from the beginning, and which will
20 on to the end.
But, while man cannot control en-
tirely the blowing of the wind. he may
modify 1t materially in that part Of it
which he inhabits. This he can do
by erecting barriers of trees to break
It's flow and retard it's progress. Two
things are imperatively needed in the
northwest. One is the presence OF
more people on the farms, and the
other Is more trees in the vicinity Of
each home.
In some Of the older sections Of
the valley. especially in Traill and
southwestern Grand Forks counties,
there is evidence of what can be done
in tree culture on the prairie. When
that section was settled there was not
q tree on 1t except along the banks
Of the few streams. Today, at a little
distance, the whole section appears
to be lined with forest. Little groves
dot the landscape and form a solid
mass along the horizon. Every n
Of those groves is a w~ind-hreak. Its
influence extends for a great distance
ON every side. And. if the average
size Of the farms was half what it is,
and there were a family living on every
farm. with a shelter belt on every
farm, we would find a very apprecia-
Bile difference in the effect of winds,
summer and winter.
With trees properly distributed over
the prairie We could get along with
a very much smaller rainfall than
we receive. Trees evaporate moisture,
Of course but that evaporation is on
fined to their immediate vicinity. while
# there were enough of them to cut
dow the wind movement on a dry
day from 90 to 10 miles an hour on
h surface OF the ground moisture
would be removed from the soil at a
correspondingly decreased rate. In
the broad sense the planting of trees
does no affect climate, but for the
practical purposes Of the mar who tills
the fields. intelligent tree planting does
affect climate. and in a highly favor
able name
The northwestern railroads have
done a splendid work during the past
few years in planting trees along their
right Of way. Their immediate pur-
pose is to check drifting snow in cuts
and similar places. But in addition
to this. the work done will have an
important effect in the Immediate vi
entity. and there should not be a farm
in the northwest where a similar work
Is not carried IN. 1t is too late for
tree planting this season. But it is
neither too late nor too early to begin
to make preparation for the work.
Ground can be designated for trees,
arrangements made for stock, and a
number of details ran be arranged in
anticipation Of the work Of another
season. and 1t Is important that this
~ MT naOlaotad