Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-02-18

sonable success, full advantage should
be taken of the protection which
they afford against drifting. The
best NEAR of utilizing grass crops
to prevent drifting is to grow them
regularly IN a suitable rotation, so
that each field on the farm will in
turn receive the protective value of
the sod. However, it must be recog-
nized that there are large areas in
Southern Saskatchewan in which the
growing Of grasses is a matter of
great uncertainty. At the Swift Cur
rent Station, where conditions are
fairly representative of the area in
which soil drifting has been severe.
grass seedlings haze failed to make
stands IN one year out of three.
Average yields of fodder have also
been somewhat lower than from an
nual hay crops such as oats. The un-
certainty of securing stands and the
relatively low yields of grass crops
tend to greatly restrict their use on
farms in the drier parts of the prov
ince.
Cover Crops
A cove crop, consisting of a thin
seeding of oats or wheat, sown ON
the suHnmerfallcw about the middle
of August, S often quite effective in
protecting the field from drifting.
The two main objections to this prac-
tIce r that the cover crop removes
ONE moisture from the fallow and
also prevents any further weed con-
troll work being done. 1t is most
useful in districts in which grain
crops On fallow are likely to be too
rank and late maturing. Under these
conditions, a moderate less of mois-
lure from the summerfalIow is not
OF serious consequence. On the brown
plains area, however, cover crops can
not be recommended, because Of the
loss of moisture involved.
Strip Farming
In eIathlaer in err-
tain areas in Western Nebraska,
strip farming has been used with con-
siderable success to prevent soil drift
ing The method consists of lavinp
the farm in narrow strips vary
ing IN width from twelve to twenty
rods, with the length Of the strip
extending north and south. The usual
practice IS to crop and fallow the
strips alternately, thereby maintain
ing crop OF stubble adjacent to every
strip of fallow, SO as TO shelter the
faliow from the wind A three-year
system of fallow, wheat and wheat
may also be used, but difficulties in
harvesting are more likely to be en-
couH ered when strips of crop on
fallow and on stubble lie adjacent
to each other. To be most effective,
strip farming should be adopted by
entire communities. However. we'll
planned individual effrts have often
prvoen very useful and have been the
starting points from which the idea
has spread to other farms in the VIC
nifty. For more detailed information
on strip farming see Bulletin No. SO.
Department of Agriculture, Regina.
Emergency Measures to Control Soil
Drifting
1t Is sometimes -cessa to adort
a means Of overcoming drifting
when previous methods have failed.
or IT drifting occurs after a season,
or series Of seasons, when no apprec-
able damage has taken place. Under
such conditions, some form of barrier
to check wind action is absolutely
necessary. In order to protect grain
crops from drifting soil, it may be
necessary to plough burrows at inter
ais across the field in q direction at
right angles to the wind. Part of the
crop will be destroyed, but the loss
IS more than countertaanced by the
protection provided. On bare soil the
same procedure may be used. The
cuitlvator may prove equally as eff
fective as the plough Material from
straw bottoms, or MANURE, NAV be
used when drifting is confined to
small, local areas. The straw is scat
tered on the ground where it provid-
es thee obstruction necessary to
check wind movement along the sur
ace As emergency measures, these
are only defective when applied