28 



CIRCULAR NO. 114, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



east of Fernley; and Walter Van Voorhis, superintendent of the 

 Indian school, 11 miles east of Fallon. Official records for the 

 Weather Bureau were kept at Fernley, Carson dam, Soda Lake, and 

 Lahontan. 



It was thought that a table showing minimum temperatures in 

 diverse portions of the project might be of interest in relation to 

 fruit growing, provided it is found that certain sections are more 

 nearly free from frost than other parts of the project. Comparative 

 temperatures, as far as they are complete, are shown in Table IV. 



Table IV. — Average monthly minimum temperatures m diverse portions of the 

 Truckee-Carson Project in 1911 and .1912. 



Average for 30 days. 



WINDS. 



The wind is an important factor on a large part of the Truckee- 

 Carson Project, especially in those sections where the soil is sandy 

 and can be easily blown. The total annual wind movement for the 

 project is not great, but heavy winds from the west or southwest oc- 

 cur occasionally in the spring and summer and are sometimes severe 

 enough to kill new seedings of alfalfa and other tender crops. 



Since the damage to the crops is due chiefly to the blowing of the 

 sand, young crops may be planted quite safely on the east side of a 

 field on which grain or alfalfa is growing, or small fields may be pro- 

 tected by hedges or brush fences along the west side. The plant- 

 ing of rows of trees along the west side of each farm is desirable on 

 account of the protection they will give to the fields. As the fields 

 of alfalfa increase in extent and the groves of trees in number and 

 size the injurious effects of the winds will decrease. Table V shows 

 that the highest average wind velocity occurs during the months of 

 April and May. 



[Cir. 114] 



