The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-04-12
TO PREVENT SOIL
BLOWING AWAY
FORESTATlON RECOMMENDED
STRIPS OF SORGHUM THROUGH
SEMl-ARID SECTIONS GOOD.

Oklahoma City Okla, April IL
Benjamin Hennessey Secretary Of the
state board of agriculture, who attend
ed the farmers congress at Guymon,
has returned to his office here, en-
Unused over the interest that is Ia
ken in improved farming methods in
the Panhandle country. He says the
meeting was attended by several hun
dred men from the states that corner
there, including New Mexico and Colo
rado as well as Texas, Kansas and
Oklahoma.
Mr. Hennessey noted that in the vi
cinity of Guymon there has been more
than the usual flowing of soil dur
| ing the past winter, and says that he
saw wheat fields where the plants and
the soil together had been swept en-
tirely off the field. This condition is
not infrequent in the sandy soil sec
tions of Oklahoma and Texas and
western Kansas. There is a remedy
for it, however, and agricultural
authorities are working to bring about
a general movement to prevent the
waste of, soil and growing crops in
this manner.
1t is necessary, Mr.. Hennessey says,
for the whole area to Join in meth
eds to prevent soil blowing in order
that results may be satisfactory. If
only one or few farmers do the
right things, the soil will blow off the
neighboring farms and cover their
crops.
Occasional heavy burrows in an east
and west direction through whole
counties of the semi-arid plains coun-
try will do much toward preventing
the blowing of soil. Occasional strips
of sorghum planted every year and
used for forage while the roots and
stumps of the stalks are left in the
ground will help. FOrestation is, of
course, the best method of preventing
soil from blowing away, but it is a
slow process, and even if adopted by
a number of farmers, will require sew
eral years before it becomes effect
i've, during which other methods will
be needed.
The experience of farmers in west
ern Kansas, in their attempts to save
their soil from blowing away is valu-
able to the farmers in Oklahoma and
Texas, where climatic conditions are
similar. In the vicinity of Colby, Kan.
the farmers united to secure some
remedy for the abandoned farms
few years ago, realizing that one neg
lected and unprotected farm would
give an impetus to a sand storm that
would sweep away the adjoining
farms if allowed to get the start
that was awaiting it there.
At that time the people of that
country went before the legislature
ana SeCuTtu enactment vi law per
hitting anybody to take possession
of an abandoned farm and cultivate
it under certain conditions.
1t is said that when the blowing
of soil begins in the arid belt, It pro-
ceeds in increasing ratio as the storm
sweeps along Impediments to its in
crease are necessary on every farm, !
and at even more frequent intervals |
than that. In the case of the Panhan-
die of Oklahoma, when the soil blows
away. it leaves a hard surface that
may be broken up in its turn and
made into equally good soil as that
blown away. The depth of the SOIL
in that country is a guaranty against
permanent loss of tillable surface as
a result of soil blowing away for |
long time to come. But the crops gen
orally blow away with the surface