Temperature and precipitation in the North Platte and South Platte valleys Continued. 



a Leroy, Colo., lies a few miles to the east of the South Platte Valley, but weather conditions there 

 are practically the same as for the valley in that part of the State. 



As shown by the table the region is subject to great extremes of 

 heat and cold, and therefore only the hardiest species can be success- 

 fully grown. 



The annual precipitation at times departs widely from the normal, 

 the minimum varying from a little more than 11 inches at North 

 Platte to less than 10 at Gering and 6 at Fort Collins. Trees usually 

 do not exist naturally where the annual precipitation is less than 20 

 inches. Some of the conifers, however, are able to thrive where the 

 rainfall is a few inches less than this amount. Since the normal pre- 

 cipitation within the region is considerably less than 20 inches, forest 

 planting on non irrigated land will not be possible except on sandy- soil, 

 where certain pines will succeed without artificial watering. There is 

 a possibility, however, that with continuous cultivation the hardiest 

 broadleaf trees may be grown on nonirrigated sandy loam and loam 

 soils. A feature of the precipitation which favors crops of all kinds 

 is that from two-thirds to nearly three-fourths of the annual rainfall 

 comes during the growing season, from April to August. 



PURPOSE OF FOREST PLANTING. 

 PROTECTION. 



Protection from wind is one of the important problems with which 

 the inhabitants of the North Platte and South Platte valleys have to 

 deal. Nothing serves the purpose better than a shelter of trees, and 

 no other farm improvement will so well repay the money and time 

 expended on it. 



Trees in such a region shield the farm buildings and add greatly to 

 the pleasure and comfort of the home. They offer shelter to stock, 

 and, finally, they make successful orcharding possible. 



The first concern of the settler will be, of course, to furnish effective 

 protection to the farmstead. Shelterbelts should be planted north 

 and west of the buildings, since it is from these directions that the 

 severe cold winds come. A windbreak should also be established on 



[Cir. 109] 



