444 



Canadian Forestry Journal, November, 1919 



Ornamental planting on the prairies, showinu :i ^l.\ . M.imi. m ui .iiii\ !i\'. '.• n-. 

 Photo taken at Indian Head. 



FIGHTING "BAD YEARS" BY PLANTING TREES ON 



PRAIRIES 



By Archibald Mitchell, Coaldale, Alberta. 



A Practical Explanation of What Trees Can do 



and Have Done m Antidotlng Crop 



Waste 



Without any doubt, the thoughts of most of 

 our public men, at least our western men, are 

 being directed at the present time towards the 

 problem of how to keep our settlers on the dry 

 prairies. This is true, whether they are con- 

 cerning themselves with the supply of hay for 

 the winter, the relief of the financial situation, 

 or even as we are, the study of irrigation 

 problems. 



The question is the same: What can we do 

 to keep our farmers on the prairies and make 

 their business more stable and successful? It 

 has occurred to me that it might be well worth 

 while to consider briefly the place that trees 

 could be made to bear on the problem. 

 Canada's dry belt. 



We are at the present moment, not far from 



the centre of a region differing from any other 

 part of Canada and covering some 400 miles 

 east and west and some 200 north and south. 

 This land is very fertile and produces great crops 

 in years when sufficient moisture is available. 

 Its annual precipitation is, however, very scanty, 

 averaging some fourteen inches or less (the last 

 two years it was 6.60 to the end of July) not 

 enough for grain crops. 



A system of summer fallows has been adopted 

 which stores up in the soil, moisture from the 

 previous year, and this , added to the precipita- 

 tion of the current year, makes crops possible. 

 It will be seen at once that any means whereby 

 the precipitation can be preserved for the use 

 of the crops even in a small degree must be 

 well worth looking into. 



