| Show Permanence Water I II II I IBy By Frederic J. J H Haskin skin V WASHINGTON The Tho prediction prediction prediction tion of Morris Llewellyn Cooke the newly named ad ad of oC the federa federal federal fed fed- era eral rural engineering projects that less Jess than years at of virile national existence remain to the American people unless its soil soli be conserved suggests that the material material material ma ma- defense of th nation is the greatest task before It it America Mr Coo Coop Coop- declares Is not a permanent permanent permanent per per- manent country but will wash away unless something is done to prevent that c It has been often noted that America has hns of past depressions de do- do press Ions b by the of some great new invention or economic development development development develop develop- ment which produced ast employment employment employment em em- and new wealth The building of the railroads the opening up of the west the automobile automobile auto auto- mobile age and so on on gave stimulus stimulus stimulus ulus to depressed people It is possible it Is thought here that this vast task of giving the very cry ground on which the American people stand is the new great task which will restore prosperity The engineers declare that America I i not awake to the danger danger dan dan- ger that confronts the nation Professor Shaler of ot Harvard predIcted predicted predicted pre pre- half century ago that North America would wash away unless something were done He thought that ages would be re required required required re- re to this devastation devas devas- tation but since his time erosion has proceeded at such a rate that in 50 years there will be scarcely enough t. t t-p t cil left to support the people The dictum that North America is not a permanent continent continent continent con con- Is taking tangible shape rapidly Misuse o of Land Certain sections of the eastern seaboard illustrate the situation graphically Virginia southern Maryland sections of the Carolinas Carolinas Caro- Caro linas all show the wasting effects of erosion For years these soils were ploughed and planted to tobacco a crop which takes most from I e soiL Moreover er the farmers of these regions feeling rich in natural resources as Unquestionably unquestionably un Un- questionably they were at the time took no thought to plough intelligently to build erosion dams or to ref ref the topsoil The result has been that their heritage hc been ploughed into the sea Square mile after square mile is so barren that it will never raise anything again in our time or the time of our descendants to perhaps the hundredth generation Indeed some soil experts say hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of thousands of years willbe will willbe willbe be required to bring back the tile soil Also the silting up of the streams has destroyed once thriving thriving thriving ing ports One can see ee in southern southern south south- em ern Maryland for instance river ports where once seagoing vessels vessels ves yes sels moored which now are de deserted deserted de de- villages as much as half halfa a mile away from their streams and those streams are so small that only a canoe can navigate them This is th the work of erosion ero cro- sion and could have been pre pre- vented A Stitch in Time It is pointed out by the engineers engineers engineers engi engi- that the task is far more than one for designers of a few big projects Such projects as the Fort Peck dam darn and reservoir designed to control the flow of the Missouri river are arc important but the time lime has come when the work must go farther back Anyone Anyone Anyone Any Any- one who has gone through rural regions is familiar with the little rills that run after rain between the furrows of sloping plowed fields These imperceptibly bly are increased to gullies and finally to ravines The thin layer of topsoil topsoil top- top soil has gone away The scale broad-scale work of soil soli conservation must go back to the fields themselves Farmers must be taught how to plow in the first place to produce a 0 minimum of at erosion Then rhen erosion dams must be built across incipient gullies The runoff of every field must be regulated After that the work worle must proceed down the streams checking the flow and regulating it wherever possible But all the huge river dams the broad reclamation reclamation mation matlon projects project's will bo be of at muo avail in the end unless the tho erosion erosion ero ero- sion is checked at atthe th the very source according to the engineers Deforestation and Overgrazing O It may be asked why this Is Isnec necessary now when it was not necessary for our forefathers The reason is that the forest has been either cut or burned off and the grasslands Impaired by ng The heavy sod sad and the forests served to hold the soil in place It is only when the tho land Is de denuded denuded denuded de- de that erosion has its way Now comes the task of performing perform perform- ing artificially the task of holding holding hold hold- ing the soil which nature performed performed per per- formed aforetime The soil erosion service of at the tho department of agriculture gives somo some facts and figures which are areno areno areno no less than amazing It has haB studied the behavior of oC soil in infields infields infields fields of ot cotton and corn that corn that is clean cloan tilled fields with furrows between tho the growing crops It also has studied the behavior of at soil beneath such crops as certain types of grass clover and deza The latter Jatter type crops are 65 times more effective In soil conservation than the clean tilled crops Fight to Save S1 Soil Of course the tho country cannot be turned over to these soil con serving crops but care can be used in the selection of lands on which certain types of crops are arc areto areto to be planted Thus flatlands should be selected for the clean tilled crops because the erosion the runoff is bound to be less there On sloping ground the theother theother theother other vegetation should be cultivated There is something verging on the dramatic In this fight to save savo the country country actually actually to save savo it physically which physically which now is going on Public works worl s. s says sas Morris Cooke Cooke- will have a constantly in increasing in- in creasing importance in the social setup that may be expected to follow the current political and economic experimentation If It the right to work comes to be recognized recognized recognized to the point where society is willing to provide subsistence for the satisfaction of exigent wants for those not allowed to work then self-interest self if nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing else suggests that we provide opportunity for satisfaction of a anew anew anew new stratum of wants by york vork ork on publicly owned enterprises enterprises' in re return return return re- re turn for the wages ages to be paid out Otherwise we are confronted with the dole Water Vater and water control control control con con- works are as promising unemployment unemployment unemployment un un- un- un employment absorbents as any class of public works T ent Year Twenty Year Program In order to save the nation Mr Cooke believe the tho American people people peo peo- pIe must be prepared to go through with at least a year 20 program of heavy annual expenses expenses ex ex- for soil conservation and also education of ot land owners The figure of is men men- This seems heavy but iCan if iC ifan ifan an investment t of that sum each year will save savo or prolong the very life of the country itself it is a small price The United States is rated as being worth so a half billion annually to preserve this does not seem heavy Especially specially in view of the fact that unless this expenditure be made the wealth figure speedily will dwin dwin- dle die For land Is worthless worthless worth worth- I less it may be worse than useless As one distinguished engineer has put it It unless such a course is followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed our civilization will follow the history of scores of civilizations civilizations civilizations that have risen and flourIshed flourIshed flourished flour flour- and disappeared The acres dead dead acres will acres will still be bo here mute monuments to the folly of the educated ma max man A final word rord from headquarters is that the government may be forced to take steps to prevent land owners from mistreating their lands just as a a. government would take steps to prevent cruelty cruelly to children or animals In Inthe Inthe the tho face faco of this emergency no noman's nomans nomans noman's nomans noman's mans man's land can be called his own with liberty to destroy it or permit permit permit per per- mit it to be destroyed destroy d by erosion The Tho right of eminent domain Is indeed eminent and if necessary the government will have to step stop stepIn In to protect the life of the conti 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