Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-11-04
VALUE OF WINosREaKs.
They Reduce Evaporation, Hinder the
Glowing Of Top Sell, and Prevent
PHYSICAL pamace.

Glowing Of Top Sell, and Prevent &.
Physical Damage.
That the farm wiHdhreak VIII more
than paw for the use Of the land IL Oc-
cupies and sapS by increased returns
from the sheltered crops and by the
value OF the wood produced is indicat-
cd by studies made by specialists OF
the Forest Service OF the United
states Department OF Agriculture, Tho
results of these studies are r, ported in
a recent publication Of the depart
ment, Farmers Bulletin No 7SS. The
Windbreak As 4 Farm Asset"
The value of a w.ndbreak is measur-
ed by its mp5netrabilly Ordinarily
il does not provide an absolute barrier
10 the wind. but only greatly reduces
the velocity of the ais currents. 70 in
crease the effectiveness Of the breaks
several rows OF low growing tveee cuH
shrubs often are planted parallel to
the main planting. #IaatVg-.s s...c
useful purpose both when used TO pro-
tect growing crops and farm buildings.
When used as protection Cor
growing crops w.udbreaks reduce
evaporation, hinder the movement Of
,op soil. and prevent physical injury
10 the crops They also operate 10
bring about higher temperature in
he protected area during the day. an
effect due largely to the reduction Of
evaporation. OF tbsee functions. the
saving of moisture is the most impor-
tant, since anything which helps TO
make additional moisture available TO
crops is, under normal conditions
direct benefit to the farmer.
Windbreaks also tend, however. 10
affect crops adversely 10 q certain eX-
tent. The roots Of the trees spread
under the nearest plauts OF the nd
joining crops and sap from them mois-
ture and plant food. BY shading the
ground the breaks also may procent
The crops in the shaded area from de-
yei0pils properly Whether the total
effect OF the wiudbrcak is gOod or bad
depends upon whether the benefits de-
rived from its influence on wind move
ment. temperature, and evaporation
are greater or less than the injury re-
sutng from the sappins and shading
Of The ground near by.
Taking all these factors into cousid-
GRAFTON. the specialists OF the depart.
mcnt have reached the conclusion
from their studies that with ordinary
field crops the farmers may count on
4 benefit from windbreak protection
which viii make the loss OF the area
occupied by the tree negligible. Tn.
der Middle Western conditions a wind
break whose width does not exceed
two or three times its height will
more than pay for itself, regardless
Of the timber which it may produce.
Further east the same kind Of influ-
ence and benefit viii exist, though in
a less marked degree, and a greater
direct return may be expected from
growing the timber for its own value,
SO that the need of even a slicht
amount of protection should make
windbreak planting attractive. The
saving with corn was especially mark.
ed, the Investigators found
About farm homes the principal
function OF windbreaks is the comfort
of the farm family By cutting off the
unrestricted sweep Of winter winds
the breaks make the heating of the
buildings easier and therefore less ex.
penaiye.
In any region the windbreak should
be so laid out as TO offer the greatest
resistance 10 damaging winds and 10
protect the greatest area. This simply
means having the belt or row at
right angles 10 the prevailing winds.
The kind OF trees 10 plant should be
determined by the moisture and other
climatic conditions. Under the respec-
tive conditions faYo.ing their growth
the following varieties Of trees or
shrubs have been found useful in tie
construction OF windbreaks. Cotton
wood. mulberry Usage orange, green
ash, locust, Scotch and Norway pine,
Colorado blue brush. Pinlon, alligator
juniper, cedars, Monterey cypress,
Monterey pine, eucalyptus, Carolina
and Lombardy poplar, and willows.
In designing the ViGdbgcak he
width of the strip Of ground to be al.
lowed the windbreak may be figured
at from one and one-fourlh TO twice
the height Of the trees for instance,
single row Of trees 50 feet high
should be allowed a strip c. srouad
from 62 to 100 feet Wild
IN addition TO the saving resulting
from protecting crops, farmers count
normally on a considerable direct re.
turn from windbreaks in the surplus
wood available for construction par
poses and fuel, The annual growth
may be figured as worth from about
81 to $50 per acre per year, depending
on the kind Of timber grown and the
climatic and soil conditions.