Show wind strip crop cropping ping halts blowing of soil time at hand to plan for future protection FARMERS F are ard making more and more u use se of wind strip cropping to help protect the soil and increase food production in areas where bare dry soils are subject to blowing by cons constant tant winds of high velocity according to the war food administration tra tion when the fertile topsoil is THANK VVE FINISHED WIND STRIP CROPPING MY FARM plant windbreaks now removed em oved productivity of the affected land is immediately lowered and will continue to decrease from year to year unless some means of stopping the depletion is employed wind strip cropping is the use 01 of alternate strips placed at right a angles to prevailing winds or in a continuous IS S so that the winds cannot blow parallel to the rows close growing crops such as legumes grasses and small grains are planted in alternate bands with cultivated crops and when turned under as green manure replace nitrogen en organic matter and other pla plant nt food essential to fertility if the strips are laid out on the contour the water conservation that results will offer additional help in preventing the soil from blowing alternate strips of summer fallow and grain shorten the distance that loose soil can move during rest periods when fallow and wheat wheal t are stripped together for example the stubble left after the wheat has been harvested will protect the fallowed fallowes fall owed land while it renews its fertility in in preparation for the new grain crop the old wheat strip will then go into fallow in progressive rotation in many areas where it is especially suitable wind strip cropping has replaced the earlier method of alternating terna ting entire fields of fallow and crops the movement of soil exposed during winter and spring months is greatly reduced when the land is pla planted anted in alternate bands rather than in fields which ch would be open t to 0 the wind the danger and severity of the winds must be taken into consideration in planning the width of the strips the stronger the blowing the narrower the strips required to counteract its effect many barren wastes in america could be completely salvaged by proper wind strip cropping |