Photograph of +Mr. Edward L. Brewer, owner of 6000 acre ranch in Oklahoma panhandle. Mr. Brewer has owned and operated this ranch since 1917. He has seen several dry and wet periods. He went though the "Dirty Thirties" of dust storms. One of the first to sign contract under Great Plains Conservation Program.

Photograph of a combine harvesting irrigated maize. This maize averaged 80 bushels per acre.

Photograph of SCS Tech. John Bailey checking the seed heads of the wheat in this irrigated 60 acre field. Good tall growth of wheat was attributed to conditioning of the soil with alfalfa for six years. Wggins is to change from flood irrigation to level border. SCS Engineers designed irrigation system. III HP 2.

Photograph of filling one of the 8 trench silos on the H.C. Hitch Ranch, Guymon, Oklahoma. 18,000 tons of ensilage was stored in the silos.

Photograph of wind erosion and revegetation range. Part of a 20 acre area of edward L. Brewer's ranch that was plowed and then blown out during the thirties, before Brewer owned the land. Cane will be planted left to grow until blowing area is stablized enough to plant grass. Will take from five to ten years. Left to right is Edward Brewer, his son, Glenn Brewer and John Bailey, Work Unit Conservationist [WUC] and the Soil Conservation Service [SCS], Guymon, Oklahoma. OK-607-11.

Photograph of a stock tank constructed on the B.J. Turner Farm. Mr. Turner also constructed a very good divider so that more than one pasture on the lot can be served with the tank. OK-3127-10.

Photograph of the Dust Bowl, Texas County, in 1934.

Photograph of windswept grassy and sandy landscape in Texas County, Oklahoma.

Photograph of a fence line contrast. The pasture on the left has been heavily grazed with sheep. No rains have occurred in 1953. The result is that the range is almost bare. The pasture on the right has not been used as heavily and some clover still remains. TX-48-566.

Photograph of Glen Brewer overseeding badly depleted Land Clearance, Cultivation & Brush and Weed Control under his Great Plains Conservation Program contract. The sagebrush has been treated with a one-way plow prior to seeding. An estimated 70-80% of the sagebrush was killed by the one-way plowing, leaving ample residue to protect the land from blowing and provide a firm seedbed for seeding grasses. OK-680-6.

Photograph of Norman Fischer, one of Louis Fischer’s three sons who operate a farm with him, shows how a sub-surface tillage implement operates, cutting weed roots, loosening soil and mixing residue into the surface. This type of equipment is coming into greater use as a means of controlling wind erosion in western Oklahoma blowing areas. This tillage also helps control water erosion which Norman says sometimes does more damage more quickly than wind erosion. OK-10, 721.

Photograph of Fischer’s Wheat Bowl Farm, Hooker, Oklahoma. side view showing V-shaped shovels or blades of sub-surface tillage implement of the kind used exclusively by the Fischers (See OK-10, 721-23). II HP 2X. OK-10, 724.

Photograph of lost water from straight row farming on about 2 percent slope section of land. Water was coming from field out into bar ditch in foreground along highway. Photograph was taken during a 1 in. rain.

Photograph of water lost from a field left of the photograph. The field was cultivated up and down slope. This stream of water came out of field into the bar ditch along highway during a 1.5 in. rainfall. Width of stream in foreground is 40 feet. Photo was taken while raining. Slope estimated to be 2 percent.

Photograph of a river of water pouring out of a section of land. Up and down slope tilled during a 1 1/4 inch of rain. Straight rows may be seen in background. The slope was about 2.5 inch toward the point where the picture was taken. The huge volume of water that broke through the end of the field into the bar ditch along highway caused regular rapids and churning water. Width of water in the main current was at least 2 feet deep. Photo was taken during a rain.

Photograph of a field to be returned, by irrigation, to alfalfa. Irrigation well will be located in the foreground. Alfalfa was produced in this field for about 30 years prior to 1934, with irrigation water supplied from the Beaver River. Impossible to take water from river since floods have cut the bank of the creek.

Photograph of the City Service Company compressor plant in Straight, Oklahoma. Built in the midst of a wheat-growing area in the Oklahoma Panhandle in 1944. The first year the compnay had a great deal of trouble from blowing dust. The Soil Conservation District helped them get a start of buffalo and other grasses to treat the problem. Now the entire 160 acres surrounding the plant is tied down with grass. OK-10, 338.

Photograph of wind erosion and revegetation range. Part of a 20 acre area of edward L. Brewer's ranch that was plowed and then blown out during the thirties, before Brewer owned the land. Cane will be planted left to grow until blowing area is stablized enough to plant grass. Will take from five to ten years. Left to right is Edward Brewer, his son, Glenn Brewer and John Bailey, Work Unit Conservationist [WUC] and the Soil Conservation Service [SCS], Guymon, Oklahoma. OK-607-10.

Photograph of bindweed control. The field corner is abandoned due to bindweed. Bigtop dalea [legume], silver bluestem [grass], threeawn [grass] and sand dropseed [grass] are crowding the bindweed. OK-342-3.

Photograph of the Dust Bowl, Texas County, in 1934.

Photograph of a wheat field ready for harvest at the Glen Brewer [?] Ranch. OK_607-9.

Photograph of Soil Conservation Service [SCS] technician John Bailey checks the seed heads of the wheat in this irrigated 60-acre field. Good tall growth of the wheat was attributed to conditioning of the soil with alfalfa for six years. Wiggins is to change from flood irrigation to level border. SCS Engineers designed the irrigation system. III HP 2. OK-10, 769.

Photograph showing the V-shaped shovels of blades of a subsurface tillage instrument up out of the soil (see OK-10-721 and 10-722). II HP 2-X. OK-10-723.

Photograph of Fischer’s Wheat Bowl Farm, Hooker, Oklahoma. Side view of sub-surface tillage equipment being used on this farm comprising 16 scattered quarter sections (See OK-10, 721). II HP 2X. OK-10, 722.