Show Snowdrift Snow rift Erosion Is A New Soil Thief Snow drift erosion is the most recently discovered soil thief in inthe inthe inthe the United States the United t Hn-t States Department of Agriculture Ag reports Snowdrift erosion occurs in eastern the Palouse winter wheat region or of eastern Washington on western Idaho and northern Oregon although although al- al alBit Bit though it is also a problem problem- in other other oth- oth er western tern areas i including parts of Utah r To have sufficient moisture and fertility for a wheat crop the Palouse farmers summer fallow their land one year and crop it the next The snow drifts onto the I steep leeward fallowed slopes dur- dur during dur dur- durin during in ing ing the winter and in t the sprin spring when it melts it washes down soil loil with it The problem is specially bad because at the time of ot the I spring the soil is ia still loose from the previous seasons season's plowing and cultivation and it erod erodes erodes erodes es easily Erosion is on northerly slopes because the drifts are deepest there and because the surface soil is not frozen when th this melting o occurs curs This ims gradual erosion has lower lower- lower lowered I ed cd the wheat yields on the higher slopes elopes the department says It fears that cultivation of the high high- higher higher er slopes of these rolling farmlands farm farmlands farmlands lands may have to bo be abandoned and the land put into sweet clover or some other crop that tl will 11 hold Ithe toI the soil If It nothing is done to toche I che check the erosion the higher land twill f will eventually because bec ll us v worthless wA the department says Not only that but in in the later stages of erosion worthless subsoil is wash wash- washed washed washed ed down on top op of ot good topsoil and anci ruins additional land The department has a soil ero- ero erosion erosion ero erosion sion station near Pullman Wash studying snowdrift t and other er- er erosion erosion er erosion problems Experiments un- un under un under der del way to find means mean of slowing up the erosion include those with Planting cover crops terracing planting spring wheat and plant plant- ing planting early |