The Dust Bowl
2013-2014
information/ideas about the future/past dust bowl
Much of the Plains had been plowed up in the decades before the 1930s as wheat cropping expanded west. Alas, while natural prairie grasses can survive a drought the wheat that was planted could not and, when the precipitation fell, it shriveled and died exposing bare earth to the winds. For eight years the dust blew on the southern plains. It came in a yellowish brown hay from the south and in enrolling walls of black from the north . the simplest acts of life – breathing, eating, taking a walk- where no longer simple children wore dust masks to and from school women hung wet sheets over windows in a futile attempt to stop the dirt , farmers watched helpless le as their crops blew away.
Another dust storm could happen if the crops started to dry out. Also maybe the oceans will get bigger since Antarctica is melting .Or getting smaller. So all the melted ice will go into the ocean. It is very possible for another dust storm to occur. Every farmer needs to watch their crops. Also be aware of the possible next dust bowl.
One way I thought I could prevent the next dust storm from happening is to have a fund raiser. Raise money to buy sprinklers. We could install them in the crop fields and they could water the crops whenever they get to dry. Or on a regular bases. it would have to be a national fund raiser . Even if not everyone came I want everyone to know. We could even have commercials to spread the news about the fund raiser.
Some quotes refering to the dust bowl of the 1930's
"On the fourteenth day of April in 1935
There struck the worst of dust storms that ever filled the sky...
From Oklahoma City to the Arizona Line
Dakota and Nebraska to the lazy Rio Grande
It fell across our city like a curtain of black rolled down,
We thought it was our judgment, we thought it was our doom..."
~ Woody Guthrie (from his song, "The Great Dust Storm")
"Lots of folks back east, they say, leavin' home every day,
Beatin' a hot old dusty trail to the California line.
Cross the desert sands they roll, gittin' out of the old dust bowl;
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl, here's what they find:
The police at the port of entry say:
"You're number fourteen thousand for today..."
~ Woody Guthrie (from his song, "Do Re Mi")