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Show Great Plains Dust Storms Causing fluch Uneasiness How serious have ' been the recent dust storms blowing up in the southern wheat fields of the western Great Plains? Field reports show drought, high winds, and insects have already taken a toll of grain crops in rain - deficient areas. Farmers in the affected states northwestern Texas, western Oklahoma, southwestern Kansas, Kan-sas, and parts of New Mexico and eastern Colorado have wondered: Will the Dust Bowl black blizzards of the early thirties be repeated Early in April, dry, windy conditions caused general dust storms light in some places, severe in others. Through the western sections of the winter-wheat winter-wheat belt, wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour were reported. Sand piled up against farm fences. Dry topsoil whirled away in great clouds of dust, at times blotting out the sun, slowing slow-ing up traffic on the highways. Green bugs and brown mites also plagued wheat farmers in some sections. Deficient topsoil moisture delayed soil preparation prepara-tion and planting. Ranges dried up, and spring growth of grass was slow. Snow surveys, indicat ing irrigation water prospects for states in the drought area, showed "not enough water for comfort." By April 1, prospects for the winter wheat crop in the drought-ridden area had declined declin-ed appreciably below earlier forecasts. In Texas, indications were for a winter wheat crop of less than 25 million bushels down 43 million from December Decem-ber .reports. In Oklahoma, the crop was forecast at 55 million bushels, down 24 million. In New Mexico, indications were for a wheat crop of about 2 million bushels, instead of the earlier predicted 5 million. The Kansas crop, at 180 million was down 27 million from December Decem-ber reports; Colorado's crop oi 45 million bushels was down about 8 million. |