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Show Long Range Tree Planting Program Started In Escalante Valley to Provide Windbreaks With a constant eye to the future fu-ture and with an understanding of one of nature's greatest erosive ero-sive powers, wind, development on the Escalante Valley in western west-ern Iron County is progressing at a rapid pace. The progress in the valley, headed by John C McGarry, la not a progress that produces re-; suits in one day, or one month or one year. The advantages are long range and full vqlue will not be realized for at least three years and possibly Jive. j The development we are dls-cussing dls-cussing is a gigantic tree planting plant-ing program that McGarry and some other farmers in the family are undertaking. This tree-planting program will in future years be used as wind break and in the same sense as a conservation measure in eventual water savings. sav-ings. Hug Windbreak Recently we made a trip to the Escalante Valley where McGarry and two workmenn have Just completed installing a wind-, break one mile long and eight tree rows wide. Planting has taken tak-en place In an undeveloped area of the valley and the only sage brush that had been cleared left an area Just wide enough to plant the trees one mile long. The eight rows of trees contained, con-tained, from west to east, two rows of squaw bush, two rows of olive and four rows of elm. The idea is that the squaw bush is low and forms a ground level break, the second series of olive are a little thinner and a little higher, carrying the wind up and finally over the tall elm trees. It Is hard to visualize and it has taken a good deal of lniatlve to undertake such a project when 1 1 .km ...til U uic: laiiu mat will uc ivmicii will not be under cultivation for possibly three more ears. Must B Watered Those trees, after planting, however, cannot be left. They must be watered constantly Just like any other crop. Water for the particular planting that we saw it taken from a well Just one mile from the beginning of the tree-planting. In other words, before be-fore the last tree ;an be watered water-ed the supply must have traveled two miles from its source. Tree-planting, however, Is not a new device on the Escalante Valley. In and around the McGarry Mc-Garry farm, located Just a little west of the Crossroads, an extensive exten-sive planting program has already al-ready been carried out and after five years of constant vigilance the efforts are finally being realized re-alized in a tremendous saving of top soil and water on that property. Planter Kpt A rail able Through the cooperative efforts of the Iron County Soil Conservation Conserva-tion District, the Escalante Valley Val-ley Wildlife Federation, the Cedar Ce-dar City Wildlife Federation and McGarry, a tree planter Is available avail-able at all times In the Escalante Escal-ante Valley. This planter, operated oper-ated by two men, one on the tractor and one on the planter, is capable of planting a row of trees one mile long and a tree every five and one half feet, In one hour's time. This is the rate and distance between the elms planted on the one mile strip we saw. A simple looking gadget, the planter sits between two Inverted Invert-ed wheels. In front, right down the middle is a disc to open up the ground. As the tractor operator oper-ator calls "plant" the man on the planter rrabs a young tree md sticks it In the slit made bv the disc and those two Inverted Invert-ed wheels pack the soil around the plant. Low Cost Trees Youig trees are supplied through the United States Agriculture Ag-riculture and Conservation departments de-partments at a more than reasonable reason-able price. McGarry said. They, as he indicated, are more than willing to aid farmers and ranchers ranch-ers in developing such conserva- tion practices. McGarry visions the Escalante Valley in future years with tree-breaks tree-breaks every five or six miles from one range of mountains to the other. He also indicates that he expects the farmers, in the near future, to start raising a different dif-ferent type of crops, such as onions on-ions and the like that will have a ready market In the California area. In addition to these developments devel-opments he expects the use of concrete ditches to Increase In wide proportion also, as a conser vation practice for the precious water that is taken from the underground sources almost exclusively ex-clusively in the valley. Much recognition has already been made on a national scale on the development of irrigated crops in the Escalante Valley. But with progressive minded farmers far-mers and a will to do better and more than ever before, it Is a certainty that still more development develop-ment and more recognition is. forthcoming to farmers in that area. |