Source: Texas sheepherder, in Stuart Chase, Rich Land, Poor Land, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1936.

"Grass is what counts. It's what saves us all - far as we get saved....

Grass is what holds the earth together."

The most common short grass in the Dust Bowl region was buffalo grass. It only grew about four inches

high and produced a tough grassy mat that

looked like a well-grazed meadow.

Document Analysis

1. What do you suppose the Texas sheepherder means when he says that grass "saves us all"?
   
2. The sheepherder also says that grass "holds the earth together." What does he mean?
   
3. How does this document help answer the question, "What caused the Dust Bowl?" Explain.
   
4. The visual above is a typical view of the "grass" described by Chase. What is likely to happe
   

once the grass is removed to plant crops.