Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 1, 1995                   TAG: 9502010058
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SHANNON D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MELTING SNOW ESPECIALLY HAPPY SIGHT FOR FARMERS

School closings were kept to a minimum, no weather-related power outages were reported to Appalachian Power Co., and the Virginia Department of Transportation said road crews had cleared virtually all secondary roads by noon Tuesday.

But one group of people who will be especially relieved as they watch the snow melt are local farmers and gardeners, because the snow actually can improve crop productivity.

Charlie Odell, an associate professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech, said nothing could be better for crops than a good snowfall.

"There is a saying that snow is Mother Nature's finest mulch. It protects and enhances the ground," Odell said.

The professor says there are a number of ways snow can enhance crop productivity.

Snow is a great source of water and a more efficient source than rain. "It provides a slow release of water from melting snow with no runoff," Odell said.

A good snow also provides natural fertilizers such as nitrogen. Snow captures them in the atmosphere and replenishes the soil as the snow melts, Odell said.

Of all forms of precipitation, Odell said, snow is the most beneficial to crops. "Ice is much more damaging because of its weight, and it does not act as an insulator like snow does," he said. By insulating the ground, snow helps protect perennial plants from frigid temperatures.

In the long run, Odell said, the more snow the better. "I have always felt that the best crops follow winters with heavy snow," he said.

In fact, for some ground crops, such as strawberries, "it would be nice if we could generate snow," he said.